Today's Menu: Take it or Leave it

A while back I chatted with Jane Braddock on the phone. We compared health notes, as we both had had some major hospitalizations, and we concluded that we were fine and healthy now. She invited me to her home for lunch and more conversation. I couldn't refuse!

Jane is a good cook and a hostess with the most-ess, despite this plaque over her cooktop:

If I had invited her to my home for lunch, I'd probably have given her a sandwich. But Jane grilled salmon for me. I am really lucky!

And it was yummy.

Jane graciously gave me the first class tour of her wonderful home. It is chocked full of fabulous art from her friends, her travels, and her African collection, not to mention her own work. Impressive does not fully describe it!

Next came the studio... Jane and Birdie. 

 And in her living room...a large diptych. On the left is a painting from her Shakti series. It is married with a newer work, Sweet Cold, from her text series.

You can see more of her fine work at http://janebraddock.com

More from Martha Christian

Martha sent this updated photo of the tapestry with this note:

"Hi, Just to prove I finished sewing slits and blocking the "rough" version!"

Martha

Isn't it spectacular?

A Monumental Masterpiece

I know very little about weaving besides warp ( the vertical strands) and weft (the horizontal strands that rhyme with "left".) But on April 25th, I was invited to Martha Christian's studio to witness the cutting of her tapestry from her 80" loom. What a treat for all of us who gathered to be a part of the process. Her studio, dominated by the loom, is a spacious room over the garage in her home.

 Isn't this a HUGE loom?

After sampling the refreshments and chatting with the other guests, we listened to Martha speak a bit before beginning the cutting and tieing procedure to remove the tapestry from its birthing place.

Martha Christian is a tiny person. The photography makes her seem much larger than she actually is.

Here she is talking to us about the process. She holds the cartoon drawing of the finished work. The "cartoon" is the design of the work. 

A closeup of the loom with lots and lots of knots

 

Lots and lots of string  

That must be cut precisely and knotted

To free the tapestry from the loom

  

 

   

Then, it took several people to move and position the tapestry on the wall where we all could see it better. That "we" included Martha herself, since the weaver doesn't get to see more than a 6" swath as she weaves.

Martha with her creation

explaining the connections

And the completed work

The wools are wildly intense and saturate the senses. It is magnificent in color and scale,
don't you agree?



Last week Martha sent me this photo of the tapestry blocked out on the floor

with this note:

"Finally I finished sewing the slits. Now the tapestry is pinned to the rug pad and ready for steam pressing. Wish you were here to crawl around with me.  Martha"