Bayeux Tapestry

The Bayeux Tapestry is an embroidered cloth nearly 70 metres long and 50 centimetres tall that depicts the events leading up to the Norman conquest of England concerning William, Duke of Normandy, and Harold, Earl of Wessex, later King of England, and culminating in the Battle of Hastings.

It tells the story of the events surrounding the conquest of England in 1066 by the Duke of Normandy. Crossing the sea in longships, long cavalcades on horseback, shields and coats of mail, fantastic creatures and battlefields.

It is a masterpiece of 11th century Romanesque art, which was probably commissioned by Bishop Odo, William the Conqueror’s half-brother, to embellish his newly-built cathedral in Bayeux in 1077.

This picture really shows how long the tapestry is, as it spans the entire room.

Michael Compton

Michael Crompton has been weaving since the early 1960’s. he had twenty six solo exhibitions throughout the UK and abroad, and his first tapestry studio was in the Weardale, Co Durham village of Ireshopeburn in 1977 until he moved to the area of Morecambe bay in 2004.

His work has developed continually from these early years but has always been inspired by nature, its cycles and seasons with associated colour and textual changes. He uses curved lines to emphasise movement and the passing of time.

In recent years he’s spent more and more time in researching, reading, writing, drawing and painting before moving to high warp frame looms.

As you can see, Compton really makes use of the seasonal colours. For example, the orange correlates to autumn. The impressive factor is how the lines are curved and have a flow like attribute to them. Even thought Compton’s work is more abstract it still embraces the story telling aspect through the use of colours.