Tabitha Gilmore-Barnes

Tabitha Gilmore-Barnes’ Artist Statement

With retirement in 2016, I am blessed with the luxury of studio time; and in joining American Tapestry Alliance, to take online courses with Margaret Jones (mentor) and Rebecca Mezoff. Also, I am a member of a local Plein Air group, whose weekly meetings challenge my sketching and analytical skills.

My tapestries are categorized in two series: “Bring Home the Colors of the Catskills” ™, Delaware County, New York State. These tapestries highlight open skies, seasonal colors, and local streams, as sketched during the Plein Air meetings. “Fall from Grace — Fall into Grace” tapestries reflect my understanding of Biblical truths and promises. To achieve textural and color subtleties in each tapestry, I dye local Shetland fleeces, using Jacquard Acid Dyes for vibrancy, and hand spin slubby 1 and 2 ply yarns. I purposely keep several stretcher frame looms warped for the next tapestry idea, and recently purchased a Mirrix “Zeus” loom, which is a joy for weaving.

Tabitha Gilmore-Barnes’ Biography

In the mid 1970s I took harness weaving classes at SUNY Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. From 1980-2016 I wove and sold textile products. In 1991 and 1992 I took two weekend tapestry weaving and design courses at The Tapestry Center with tapestry designers under Ruth Scheuer. I completed my B.S. Art Education at SUNY New Paltz in 1995. I joined the American Tapestry Alliance in 2016-2017.

Since my family’s move to rural Delaware County, NYS in 1990, I have participated in area art exhibits, both juried in and invited, and since 2012 participated annually in the AMR Artists Inc OPEN STUDIOS TOUR. These are recent invitations: Headwaters Arts Center two-person show THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL (2023), Walton Presbyterian Church FALL FROM GRACE — FALL INTO GRACE (2023), Longyear Gallery ARTISTS CHOOSE ARTISTS (2023); and Cooperstown Art Association MADE IN NEW YORK: GLASS and FIBER (2022). For 2024 I have been invited to the Olive Library’s FOLLOW THE THREAD Exhibit and juried into the Woodstock Artists Association and Museum’s BY A THREAD Exhibit. My complete resume and artwork can be found at https://tabithagilmore-barnesstudio.com.