Passings in the Tapestry World

  Yes ,  there have been many changes going on so far this year. And last year as well. Tapestry lost an great and influential artist last November with the passing of Janusz Kozikowski, my friend Nancy's ex husband and her son David's father. He has done some of the most fantastic tapestries ever and his work has always been an inspiration to me. I only met him once, at the opening of "The Thread of New Mexico"exhibit we were all in at the Albuquerque Museum in 2001, and there is an accompanying book that you should

try and get a hold of if you can( in fact here is a link to buy it that helps our Museum foundation
 http://newmexicocreates.org/product-11969/The-Thread-of-New-Mexico?category=58 ,) . In it is a prime example of Janusz's work  "Chair Series in Red" and it's one of my favorites. He and his talent will be missed.
  A big change for me was the closing of the Weaving Southwest Gallery, ( just the physical gallery space, supply store and on line gallery are still in operation.) I was getting ready for another Solo Show there as my Solo show at WSW was so successful last year. There still may be a possibility of the show, for which I have 11 new pieces of my "New Math; More from the Universal Language Series", at an alternate location .
 We shall see what happens. Soon after the announced changes up in Taos the Tapestry World suffered another loss, Rachel Brown,

Founder of Weaving Southwest passed away. (Here she is in front of one of  My pieces at the gallery!)  . I have known Rachel for many years and had heard of her before I was even doing tapestry as Rachel's ex husband Malcom  Brown and his sister Kristina had grown up in Taos with my mother in law. I heard stories from my mother in law similar to the ones in the "Three Weavers" and on  one visit (my mother in law lives in India) we went to the "NewStore" Rachel had opened in Arroyo Seco.  I soon started my weaving career, influenced by my then mentor Victoria Rabinow at the Santa Fe Weaving Center. Soon I was making rugs on my own after being a production weaver, then Rugs with pictures = Tapestry took over my interest entirely.
I went up toTaos armed  with my early tapestries which had large landscapes surrounded by colorful frames, made from my $3/ pound Webs yarn. Rachel graciously agreed to show my work and began hinting at changes that could/ should be made. I soon switched to WSW's hand dyed yarn.
 Several years later Rachel, James ( then Jeremy) Koehler, Donna Martin and I formed a group of New Mexican Tapestry Artists, and after much sending of portfolios 3 of us( Rachel, Donna Martin and I) were chosen to show at the Pima Art Gallery in Tucson AZ during a 1999 American Tapestry Alliance Symposium.
This was so much fun. My whole family came and when they were out sightseeing I hung out with Rachel and Donna in the room they shared. Rachel gave a wonderful talk and on an afternoon off Rachel and Donna joined our family ( we all crammed into one car, much laughing) on a tour of the Tucson Desert Museum.

Years later, when ownership of WSW had passed to Pat Dozier, I had a solo show on Mathematics . Rachel was very appreciative of this show and her compliments meant a lot to me. She especially loved the "Golden Mean Spiral" ( Which also won an ATA award at IWC that year) and talked about how she would love to have it but it was too big for her downsized space. She had recently moved due to declining health and her back caused her pain much of the time.
I made this smaller version just for her. I continue to be inspired by her  beautiful  tapestries and her great sense of design  and color ( always very different then mine, those at WSW always joked Rachel is a E , the lightest shade, Donna Loraine is an A). We will miss her continuing great influence  but her great influence will live on in her Tapestries, Books and those of us she mentored so graciously. Thanks Rachel.

   So now to what's on the loom , the last of my "New Math" pieces until I know more about what is going on. Oh Confusion! Good news is That the Albuquerque Museum 's Gallery Store sold my first large piece,!
until now only mediums were being shown and sold. And also I finally made it into one of the American Tapestry Alliances biennial's , I entered the last 6 with only rejection notices to show for it. This is better. The thing to remember about any group show you enter is that your piece of art, no matter how fantastic , could always be rejected just because the confluence of Juror's tastes, who and what other artists/ art is entered and what vision of a Show is conjured up to that juror(s) at that time, etc etc It's a wonder that shows get put on with all the decision making that has to go on. I've been on both ends of this and the show that happens is only one of many possibilities and which is/ would have been best is anybody's guess sooooo I'll just keep on entering, especially to shows whose sponsor's cause I believe in, ( my way of donating.

And here is my husband's Architectural Offices ( DNCA http://www.dncarchitect.com/DNCA_Architect___Home.html) with nice big white walls for 2 of the "New Math" pieces to be seen by his clients.
 At this point I usually say back to the loom but instead I'm going to soak in a tub. This posting is late partly because I wanted to digest it all and let the air clear for those actually involved and partly due to an attack of sciatica which made sitting at the computer too painful, (Icould stand just fine which made me glad of a standing loom) Healing up and hoping this will do the trick so off to the tub, then Back to the Loom!