Every year Manufacture des Gobelins commissions several artists to create a design for a tapestry to be woven in this venerable studio. Some of their commissions have been Picasso, Matisse, etc, so it is a rather intimidating proposition. I first started talking with the representative of Gobelins in 2011 at the introduction of Shirley Jaffe. I visited their workshops and learned more about their techniques, It felt like a trip to the early Renaissance.
The composition of “Summer Scattered” is based on chance operation as developed by the composer/artist John Cage. John and I met at an artists' conference in 1980. He lived two blocks from me and we became good friends. Of course I had known about his thoughts on indeterminacy and composition from college years. But when we became friends, his ideas started to enter my work more and more.
In the tapestry design, each flower appears exactly three times. The exact position and orientation of the flower is arrived at through chance operation. To locate each element, I placed the paper on the floor, stood up and dropped three squares of paper onto the drawing surface. Each small square of paper fluttered to the floor following its own route through the air and landed where it wished. Each square had a mark on it indicating the directionality of the flower.
I divided the paper into four equal stripes, adding gold leaf to one and an iridescent green to another stripe. The technicians at Gobelins translated these brilliantly into their ancient techniques utilizing many different shades of metallic threads.
I visited Gobelins several times during the long weaving. This 3 meter by 4 meter tapestry wouldn't be possible without Marguerite Aniotz-Trunel and Diane Barret who have been sitting side by side for six years. Speaking as someone who has woven, I particularly want to thank these two amazing craftspersons who brought skill, patience, and endurance to this huge project. In October 2022, the tapestry was finally completed.
In May 2023, I traveled to Paris and was delighted to see “Summer Scattered” on display at the Gala Dinner marking the start of Paris Gallery Weekend, held by Mobilier National. My tapestry, publicly shown and the first time I’ve seen it unrolled, myself! I was awed and stunned at how beautiful it looks. The colors are radiant.