Karmen Steigenga

Karmen is a self-taught tapestry weaver with a background in Art History from Queen’s University. Initially drawn to painting, her creative path shifted after acquiring a second-hand floor loom—leading to years of dedicated weaving practice. She immersed herself in the study, design, and creation of functional textiles, all while pursuing the Master Weaver designation through the Guild of Canadian Weavers.

Over time, her work evolved from utilitarian cloth to a deeper exploration of tapestry as an expressive medium. In recent years, she has focused exclusively on tapestry, drawn to its meditative rhythm and the way it allows stories to unfold thread by thread.

For the past 24 years, Karmen has divided her time between Toronto and her true home: Lake on the Mountain. This duality—urban energy and rural stillness—quietly informs her work, which is rooted in process, memory, and a deep reverence for the enduring beauty of cloth. Karmen approaches the loom with both discipline and intuition, blending technical knowledge with a painter’s sensitivity to form, colour, and composition.

She is a member of the American Tapestry Alliance, the British Tapestry Group, and the Canadian Tapestry Network.

• karmensteigengahandwoven

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