Returning to Portland late one night, I passed the Tillicum Bridge and felt that the lights on its suspensions, glowing in the dark, were welcoming me home. Artists Murch and Hollis installed LED lights on the bridge’s suspensions to create a symbiosis or “poetic dialogue” between the Willamette River and the bridge. I hoped to capture that same atmosphere in my tapestry.  I used weft bundles to create the flowing water and its nighttime reflections. I enhanced the suspensions on the bridge with metallic threads to help bring to life the lights against the subtle backdrop of the forest. The integration of these elements projects peaceful tranquility and radiates the intended connection between bridge and water.

Barbara Hitzemann’s journey in textiles began with a degree in Art Education and several classes in floor loom weaving (Univeristy of Cincinnato, 1985). In 2001 she moved to Oregon where she developed a passion for tapestry weaving at the Damascus Fiber Arts School.