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Artist Profiles - Thoma Ewen

Article 18 of 89     


This article first appeared in the "Artist Profiles" column in the May 11, 2005 issue of the The Low Down to Hull and Back News.External Link Reprinted with permission. Search complete list of Low Down Articles.

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Weaver's passion for tapestry an open secret in art world

by Catherine Joyce

The Gatineau Hills are home to internationally acclaimed tapestry artist, Thoma Ewen. In a vaulted studio that breathes with the sacred, mysterious silence of a cathedral, she weaves her light-filled creations. They hang about the walls in cascades of colour. The sense of presence in this space is palpable, as quiet and centred as the woman herself.

Thoma came to Ottawa from Vancouver as a young child. Her mother loved the arts and ensured that her two girls were exposed to all forms of expression from an early age. A typical Sunday would find them at the National Gallery, where for years Thoma visited her favourite paintings. An exhibition of tapestry art that came to City Hall in the '60s decided her path. She was transported to a world of such beauty, colour and spiritual inspiration that she knew this would become her life's work.

Artist Profiles
Gatineau Hills-based weaver Thoma Ewen has gained international recognition for tapestries such as this. Photo courtesy Thoma Ewen.

She has never looked back. Her work has travelled the world, sought after for public and private collections. Through her website (www.moonrain. com) and summer workshops she shares her vision of the deep, meditative power of weaving. She speaks of the intense spiral of energy that vibrates in every strand. "I live in wonderful mysteries that permeate my consciousness as I work. There is an excitement, a spark of pure energy that keeps you alive in a reciprocal dialogue with the yarn."

For years she could not speak of it. It was like a secret, this passion for tapestry, an art form virtually unknown in Canada at the time. She graduated in 1970 with a BFA from Victoria University, receiving a scholarship to study at the Graduate Institute of Fine Arts in Helsinki. "I knew what I wanted. You take what you need -even if it's in another language, as long as it is alive, you can immerse yourself, you can find it." For her second year she apprenticed with renowned artist, Oili Maki, for whom she wove her first tapestries. "Europe has a tradition of tapestry art. It is recognized and supported."

The seventies were the magical years in Canada when a renaissance in the arts offered limitless opportunities. There was a readiness to look at different mediums, inspiring Thoma to exhibit widely. By 1987 she had found her soul landscape hOrth of Poltimore and began her exploration of light and energJ~ "I gave myself a year to see what would happen. I am still here, watching the journey of the sun over the fields, the moon On the winter snow. I try to capture that in my tapestries -the ribbOns of ligh t, the thread of life."

In recent years Thoma has taken her art out into the community, weaving together tapestries for peace and harmony. "There is such grief and sadness out there. People long to express themselves. The sacred path of weaving is like flowing Water. It opens your heart." Thoma's work is an affirmation of beauty within and without. You can see her work at Chez Eric until May 16.