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Contemporary
Tapestries by Stephen Knutson
Welcome to the world of Stephen
Knutson, a fiber artist specializing in
three-dimensional, hand-woven tapestries
featuring abstract designs and natural scenes.
This site includes a gallery of work and
information about how to commission a custom
tapestry.
About
the Artist
Steve Knutson grew up in Northfield,
Minnesota, where he graduated in 1967 from St.
Olaf College with a liberal arts degree,
majoring in art. He spent 1969 to 1971 living
on the Costa Del Sol in Spain. Inspired by the
colorful Spanish yarns he began experimenting
with a quasi RYA RUG technique. While drawing
and water coloring were his main interest in
Spain, these dabblings on the beach were the
seeds of what would become a career in fiber
art in Palm Desert, California, beginning in
1973. Many of his tapestry wall coverings are
in private homes in the country clubs of
Ironwood, Desert Horizons, The Lakes, The
Vintage, and PGA West. Stephen's tapestry wall
murals can also be found in the clubhouses of
Chaparral Oasis, Palm desert Green country
Clubs as well as the Marriott Desert Springs
timeshare clubhouse. Indian Canyon (the
masthead piece at the top of this page), was
commissioned by the Canyon Bank in Palm
Springs. It measures 13 by 5 and one-half
feet.
About the Technique
The tapestry is basically a big jigsaw puzzle
with the various size pieces individually
woven, then attached to its own backing,
re-stitched with various colors. Cacti are
also formed with individually woven pieces,
formed into their shapes with the flower buds
and needles added. The Bushes are yarn wrapped
around a core of yarn and thin wire. Smaller
rocks are made by sewing individually woven
squares around Dacron. Once all the pieces are
ready they are all sewn together on the large
canvas backing. This method allows for large
wall murals like the one at the top of the
page, which has a width of over thirteen feet.
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