Jack Lenor Larson

A few blogs ago I wrote about the human treasures in our lives. We all have them. They are the ones who "set the bar", who know the history, who have worked hard in their area of expertise, and who have succeeded in their endeavors. They are the ones we look to for inspiration, for knowledge, for guidance. We admire and respect them. They keep us grounded and connected to our roots. In the field of weaving there are a few of these treasure around. Some are no longer with us like Annie Albers, Lenore Tawny (who just recently died at the age of 100), and Mary Meigs Atwater to name a few.


Yesterday I had an opportunity to meet and hear another of our weaving and textile treasures. Jack Lenor Larson spoke at the Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, MA. Although he did not speak of his own work, he did share stories about the artists whose work he has collected through the years. People like Dale Chihuly and Lenore Tawny. What a wealth of craft history and experiences he has to share. I think we only heard a "smidgen"!

Jack was at the Fuller in connection with the current exhibit, "Craft in America". This exhibit is in connection with the PBS series of the same name. Many of the pieces talked about in the series are on display at the museum. Of course there is a lot more exhibited and well worth the trip to see the work that our nation's craft artists are producing.

If you get to the Boston area, don't miss this exhibit. You can get more information on the Fuller Craft Museum website, http://www.fullermuseum.org/. It's a wonderful museum and the exhibit is excellent.




Scarf by Judy Connor Jones, Tencel, 8S Point Twill Variation (all work is copywrited )

Surprise on Earth Day!

Today is Earth Day and what better day to discover that a bird has made its home in the Christmas wreath that is still hanging on my door! It's been a long cold wet winter in New England and along with my procrastination the wreath still hangs on the door! Today was warmer and I was going to take the wreath off the door when I discovered that a little finch had made a nest nestled in the wreath. This had become its home and it had laid 5 eggs in the basket. So how could I take the wreath down? I guess it will have to stay up a little longer until the little birds fly away! This could get interesting! Fortunately we do not use that door. Occasionally someone comes and rings the door bell for that door but usually its pretty untouched and quiet.

Here are a few pictures:

I'll post pictures as things progress.

Perils of Selling

This blog entry is a sad one for me to write. In the almost 20 years that I have been selling my work I have never had such a loss of inventory as recently. My work was sent to a show in Monmouth County, NJ. I will not mention the name as I wish to protect the show hosts. My work was received and inventoried and at some point before the show one whole box of items was missing. That box contained chenille tops and painted warp scarves to the total retail value of $1800. It's all gone! Someone must know what happened to it. The show hosts have searched diligently for it and are as upset about it as I am. They were entrusted with the items and feel very responsible even though they took precautions to make sure they were in a secure place. They know that someone got the key and was in the closet without permission. Other than that they do not know anymore.

If you read this blog and live within that area, please be on the look out for handwoven chenille tops and scarves that seem like they are in the wrong place and please notify me immediately. Even though the show will reimburse me for the loss, I would rather have the items back and sell them to someone who really appreciates them.

I now have a big job of working twice as hard to replace what was lost. Some items were one of a kind. My painted warp scarves are always limited production as I usually only produce about 12 per year.

It is such a sad commentary that this should happen. Maybe they were misplaced and they will be found, but hopes of that dwindle as time goes on.

The items lost are similar to these only in different colors. There were both Crop Tops and Tunic Tops in the box in size Small, Medium, and Large.