I’ve found myself doing some lectures for weaving groups again recently and so I’ve been talking about my teacher, James Koehler again. I was his apprentice and I do like to talk about this model of learning.
James passed away unexpectedly on March 4, 2011. I often do put up a blog post on the anniversary of his death to celebrate his life and especially his work as a tapestry artist. James was a devoted teacher and I think he would want to know that his book, Woven Color, has inspired people to weave tapestry or at least to think about how an artist comes to that profession and where their work comes from.
James Koehler, Harmonic Oscillation XXXIII, tapestry
I want to use this occasion to give you a link to James’ book, Woven Color. It was co-authored by Carole Greene and she has self-published it on Blurb. The printed version used to be for sale for $108 (not because Carole or James made any money on it, they didn’t, but because that is what self-publishing on that platform meant mostly for personal photo books costs) and not many people can afford to pay that much even for a beautiful hardcover book.
You can now get the book as a PDF download for only $9.99. Though I myself prefer to read books in their paper versions, this is an opportunity to read about James’ work for not much money at all. So choose a device that has color (sorry Kindle Paperwhite), and settle in for a good read. The book is over 300 pages and is full of illustrations of his tapestries and from his life. https://www.blurb.com/b/1867726-woven-color
James Koehler at the 2010 Convergence with his new book, Woven Color
I am mentioning this because James was important to me. He was both kind and a bit ruthless about his work and teaching. That didn’t always sit well with his students and apprentices, but at the end of the day, I owe a debt of gratitude to him for pushing me hard and expecting me to be good. He was also passionate about teaching and seeing someone work so hard to teach others tapestry was inspiring to me as I launched my own teaching career shortly after he died.
James Koehler, Ensnared Light, tapestry
I’ve written a lot about James over the years. You can find those posts linked HERE on the 10th anniversary of his death. You’ll also find a video about his life there.
To James I would say, thank you for encouraging me, for being a bit of a taskmaster, for never accepting sloppy work. Thank you for asking me to be your apprentice and for being willing to let me into your daily work and to teach me while you did that. It has made all the difference.