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James Koehler was a contemporary tapestry artist living and working in New Mexico. He was my teacher and the teacher of many other tapestry artists over a span of about 20 years. He passed away unexpectedly ten years ago today, March 4, 2011 at 58 years of age.
Many of you probably took classes from him also. Perhaps you visited his studio, were in a class with him through your guild or a conference, or were even one of his apprentices at some point.
Every year of the last seven years on March 4th I’ve written a blog post in honor of my teacher, James Koehler, who died unexpectedly in 2011 at 58 years of age.
Last December I gave a lecture to the Rocky Mountain Weaver’s Guild in Denver about my experiences as James’ apprentice as well as an overview of the parts of his tapestry practice that he shared with me. As I went through some new material which was generously shared by other apprentices and his sister and read through at his autobiography again, I especially appreciated revisiting the progression of his artistic work. From initial tapestries woven when he was a Benedictine monk to much less representational works later in his life, I could sometimes hear his voice talking about his inspiration, his process, and the tapestry rules he made for himself.
I’ve put a page on my website with links to more information about his work including video and audio HERE.
James Koehler was my mentor. I was his student and apprentice for about six years before he died unexpectedly on March 4th, 2011.
I like to remember James on the anniversary of his death each year. And this year I think he would be pleased that I was able to celebrate his life with a mutual friend and someone who has been a mentor to me since he passed. Sarah Swett is an artist full of the joy and mystery of creation. And she takes that love of life and fiber right into her work and her writing.
Sarah wrote the forward to James' book, Woven Color. Though the imagery in their tapestry work is very different, there are many similarities in their approach to weaving. As Sarah says in her forward, they both experienced early adulthoods spent in isolation. James was a monk and Sarah worked alone in the Idaho wilderness as a forest ranger and caretaker... "experiences which forged lives of self-discipline, honed inner resources, and influenced, in one way or another, our subsequent work. Physically and metaphorically, we both weave in our ends."
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| James Koehler, Harmonic Oscillation XL |
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| James Koehler, Rhythms of Nature III |
When I entered the monastery in 1977, there were only six monks. In many respects, it was like a family. We met every morning to discuss some aspect of the Rule of Saint Benedict and to take care of community business. The prior acted as a moderator who helped us come to a consensus on any decision that had to be made. In many respects, we were a young and idealistic community.
As time went on, many aspects of our life there changed. Several men arrived to experience monastic life. Sometimes, they stayed for a few months, and sometimes, they stayed for a few years. The community became progressively more stable. The increased size in our membership affected [sic] several changes in the structure of our lives together.
In 1983, the Monastery of Christ in the Desert was received as an independent priory into the English Province of The Subiaco Congregation of the Order of Saint Benedict. Consensus was no longer our modus operandi. Clear lines of authority were established along with a system of anonymous voting on important issues. Our Customary, a document that described our daily life in great detail, was rewritten by the prior. Many of the ideals that drew me to monastic life at Christ in the Desert had been written out, and I now found life there to be increasingly difficult.
For many years, I was able to arrange my schedule so that I would be able to weave whenever possible. Brother Philip had encouraged me to explore the creative process through my weaving as a way of experiencing the Creator. But now, I was allowed to be in the weaving shop only when I was scheduled to be there during work periods. I was to spend all of my personal time alone in my cell.
That was really difficult. It was at the root of my discontent, and it started a struggle for me that lasted a whole year and a half. I kept asking myself -- Should I really be here?One of the things that James modeled for me so well was his ability to focus. He could focus on his work to the exclusion of everything else, whether that was a good or bad thing for life overall. When he was working, he was working.
It has been four years today since my teacher, James Koehler passed away unexpectedly at 58 years of age. I started a tradition of posting on the day he died and I think I shall keep it up. You can find the links for the last 4 years below including the post I wrote just after he died. I also wrote an article about him for the newsletter of the American Tapestry Alliance, Tapestry Topics. It is in the Summer 2011 issue which is now available for free on their website
Perhaps the best part of that article is all the voices of his students, apprentices, and friends.
I had the opportunity to visit the conservation department at the Denver Art Museum last month. We looked at some large 16th century tapestries that are being stabilized for the upcoming tapestry exhibition and then, when the class had dispersed, textile conservator Allison McCloskey pulled out the James Koehler piece that is in their collection.
James Koehler, Chief Blanket piece, in the collection of the Denver Art Museum
He wove these chief blanket-inspired pieces before I knew him and I had never seen this piece before. But as soon as she unrolled it it was clear it was a James Koehler. His signature weft interlock join was there along with precise, unwavering craftsmanship. And the thing that made me chuckle and convinced me no one else could have woven this piece was something my camera was just able to capture.
James Koehler, Chief Blanket detail
He loved to put things together that you couldn't really see in every light. See the purple square in the diamond? From him I learned to tag my butterflies because the colors are too close to reliably decipher. But when you stand back and look at the finished weaving, you can tell the difference. I think life is like that a lot of the time. We can't see things up close that if we just got some distance from, would be obvious.
If you'd like to see what I wrote in years past, here are the links.
2014
2013
2012
2011
You can now buy James Koehler's autobiography,
Woven Color,
on Amazon. It is a beautiful book and a well-told story of a journey lived in tapestry.
The book is self-published through Blurb Publications and you can also buy it directly from them.
James loved teaching. In his book he had this to say about that part of his career:
I want to continue to teach because the world of tapestry has enriched my life in so many ways. I want to pass on that gift to a new generation of weavers who are willing to learn from me. Tapestry weaving is an art form that does not get a lot of attention from the mainstream art world. I hope my work will help to change that…. [Tapestry] is an art form that enables people to enter into their own creative process where they can explore the medium and expand the possibilities that are inherent in it… I like to live my life from the vantage point of considering unexplored possibilities, and I am passionate about approaching my work in the same way. (Koehler 253)
I also love teaching. I didn't learn this from James, but I do understand it. I have been teaching various things since I was a kid playing school with my little sister, but teaching tapestry is the best thing I have ever done. When I look back at the last four years of my studio career, I sometimes indulge myself a little bit and think, "James would be proud."
Reference
Koehler, James, & Carole Greene.
Woven Color: The Tapestry Art of James Koehler.
Blurb Publications, 2010.
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| Morning, 55 x 33 inches | Note: This tapestry was hanging high on the wall thus the photograph makes it look narrower at the top. It is actually rectangular. |
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| Spring at last, 48.5 x 28.75 inches; Morning, 55 x 33 inches; Inside Looking Out, 38 x 27 inches |
