Gyllian Thomson

Green Route

My work is vibrant and colourful. I am a traditional Tapestry weaver using an upright scaffold loom. Initially I paint on paper to create my designs. These are then translated into my work using cotton, wool, linen, acrylic and much more.

Behind the Scenes
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About My Practice

I work with all kinds of yarns wrapping my colours on a wooden bobbin used to weave my Tapestries. My scaffolding loom produces work that can be woven horizontally or vertically in discontinuous weft to form the image from my painting. My loom is very large and so this enables me to weave my Tapestries all sizes. Warping up my loom can take time, but this stage is very delicate as it forms the structure for my weaving and so needs to be precise. I weave my image using a range of yarns from cotton to silk and linen to wool. I also like to merge in some threads when I am looking for a more subtle change to my design.

Tools & Materials

I work in my studio attached to my house. The fact that tapestries interprets a painting or a drawing is why I love it. It’s almost not enough to just paint. So I work with all different kinds of yarns and threads and the textures and colours you get from these yarns are better than paint. My scaffold loom was hand built by myself. My wooden bobbins and yarn holder are made by a local wood turner using recycled woods. My tapestries are a slow, meditative traditional art form.