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Tapestry Topics Online
A Quarterly Review of Tapestry Art Today
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page 8
Fall 2005, Vol 31 No 3
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Portrait of Dr. Richard Ferry
by Linda Rees
– TT p.15-16 |
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In the fall of 2003, I tried to locate the owner of the Richard Ferry portrait described in the book, NEZHNIE: Weaver & Innovative Artist. After local phone inquiries produced no results, I sent out large mailings to Ferrys garnered from genealogical sites, all to no avail. . . Long after the fact, I can finally describe one of Nezhnie’s most skillful weavings in detail and accurate color.
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Muriel Nezhnie Helfman, Portrait of Dr. Richard Ferry, 24” x 26”, 1978
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The portrait is made up of a series of two-color patterns. Each pattern is essentially consistent wherever that combination occurs. . . The portrait is made up of a series of two-color patterns. Each pattern is essentially consistent wherever that combination occurs. . .
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Ferry Detail #4
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The granular quality of the highlighted areas is formed by following two passes of cream with one pick of orange tan then one pick of blue gray. Thus, the cream yarn goes over and back twice before the row of tan and gray. I am fascinated by the ability of the gray to visually blend in with the cream to create a subtle vertical ribbing at the same time that it unites with the tan to form a more definitive wavy horizontal stripe. This texture alludes to the coarse, weathered skin of a mature adult.
The combination of purple and teal is particularly recessive, providing a deeper shadow than when the purple is used with black. What appears as brown in the hair is really teal and plum woven as pick and pick. This pattern is also used to create the brow and also in the eye socket juxtaposed with the purple and thin black cotton combined as one yarn. Some portions here are also teal and purple pick and pick, effectively separating the brow from the recessed area just below it. The number of pattern changes in this area, and in the hair, is astounding. It seems very daring to even attempt to simulate three-dimensional form with multiple patterns in such a confined area yet Nezhnie attains very convincing eyes. . .
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Ferry Detail #2
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Ferry Detail #3
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Nezhnie chose to use six colors for warp. . .
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Ferry Detail of back
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....(continued next page) |
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o f
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t h e
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N e w s l e t t e r
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A m e r i c a n
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T a p e s t r y
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A l l i a n c e
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