Tiffany at Selby Gardens

I’m Deborah Davis, and I am a tapestry artist based in Colorado.  From my weaving studio, I see Long’s Peak, Mummy Mountain, foothills, bluebell skies, stormy skies.  It’s a grand, inspirational backdrop as I weave on a more intimate scale.  Color, light and shadow, organic rhythms of line and shape are my source inspiration.  I take many photos of flowers, trees, rocks, water, clouds, the natural world.  Always I begin design by studying my original photos, and this adds a memory to each tapestry.

A tapestry design takes me weeks to create, and from the design I then make a “map”, or cartoon, for the tapestry.  The cartoon can be anything from a fairly simple black and white drawing that outlines shapes, with some notations, or it can be full-color.  Always, as I weave, I make changes to the original cartoon and color selections, responding to how the colors interact. 

Tapestry weaving is a slow and engrossing process, building up from the bottom of the loom. Fine wool yarn — the weft —  completely covers the structural warp. This creates the the image. Weaving generally takes several months.

This tapestry, “Tiffany at Selby Gardens”, was completed in 2024.  I wove it by hand on a vertical loom. Inspiration for this tapestry was a visit to Marie Selby Botanical Gardens where huge, colorful whimsical sculptures were tucked throughout. This tapestry of moth orchids and a bromeliad with stained glass-like pops of color amid exotic greenery is a reflection of that playful garden experience.