Donald & Era Farnsworth
Thangka I, 2004
Jacquard tapestry
82 x 54 in.
edition of 36

A centuries-old Tibetan sacred wall hanging provided the inspiration and basis for Thangka I. The torn silk and flaking paint of the original hanging were re-worked by the artists and adapted for weaving as a Jacquard tapestry. The artists were concerned with restoring the elegant image while retaining the sabi, the type of beauty that develops only with age. Thangka I was woven in Belgium on a seven-foot wide Jacquard loom utilizing 17,800 warp threads of 8 repeating colors. The weft threads are comprised of 8 repeating colors woven at 60 shots per centimeter. The weave file was created at Magnolia Editions in Oakland, CA by Donald and Era Farnsworth.

A portion of the proceeds from the sales of this edition are donated to the Tibet Fund, a nonprofit which preserves the cultural, religious and national identity of the Tibetan people, and through them the Shalu Monastery in exile and the Tibetan Children’s Village, a shelter and school for Tibetan orphans.