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Color, warmth, and passion are seen in the new art book titled “Tapestries of Morris David Dorenfeld, Paintings in Fiber,” by Christopher Williamson. There will be a book signing on May 5 at the Caldbeck Gallery in Rockland, Maine, from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. The book is a work of art in itself.
Dorenfeld’s tapestries create an atmosphere of love because of their warmth, delight in the use of color, and quiet sense of design in a world filled with chaos. Repetitive geometric shapes can be seen in his work placed in intriguing intervals.
Dorenfeld’s work is an important contribution to contemporary tapestry art. His abstract designs in fabric lift what was once called a craft into a fine art form. This book brings that out clearly with a detailed description of how a hand-woven tapestry is created with expertise when handling the medium, and includes photographs of the artist at his loom.
The book brings out the importance and beauty of 21st-century modern tapestry work. It introduces to you the artist, Morris David Dorenfeld, whom you may not have known but, in his field of modern tapestry, is highly respected globally.
The quality of color in photographs of the tapestries in the book is magnificent. The author, Christopher Williamson, writes with sensitivity and beauty. Williamson, a scholar associated with the Farnsworth Museum in Rockland, Maine, is a retired educator with a special insight into fine art and fabric design. He often refers to Dorenfeld as “Morrie” because he and his wife, Peggy, were close friends.
Dorenfeld was a gifted artist, who lived in Maine quietly for decades. Many of his works are the size of murals, such as the work, titled “Cabin in the Sky,” which is 68” x 45” created in 2000 in wool and hand-weaved on an old loom with infinite care. Its clean, sharp, abstract design is dominated by hunter orange, a color that became Dorenfeld’s muse. He tried to move away from that color but was always drawn back to it. It is a dominant color in much of his work and is used on the cover of this book. In fact, the design of the book with its orange jacket reflecting the work “Hunter Variations” is beautiful. Its fabric hardcover, deep red endpapers, table of contents in large print, and appendixes with a list of all gallery shows, awards, and contributors is outstanding.
But it is the special writing by the author, Christopher Williamson, who unites the artist’s visual designs and passion in creating tapestries by explaining the intricate weaving process that brings to life the artist's meaning, a rare union of appreciation and creativity and a great tribute to the artist.
Morris David Dorenfeld,(Morrie), was born in Chicago in 1937, during the Depression. He was the grandson of a Rabbi. However, like many families during the Depression, his family faced hard times. His mother had to get a job. His brothers had to be placed in foster homes. Morrie lived with his mother and widowed grandmother, Esther, who took him to synagogue with her.
As a boy, Morrie felt isolated and found purpose in art. Art was his refuge, and he could do it on his own. He graduated from high school and entered the National Guard. After an honorable discharge, he applied to the Art Institute of Chicago in their BFA program, graduating in 1960. He painted in oils in the abstract expressionism style. As a painter, he admired the works of Max Beckmann, Mark Rothko, William de Kooning, and Philip Guston.
Dorenfeld’s life with his good friend Robert Francis Davis for 37 years led him eventually to find a home and create in Maine, where they owned an island. Dorenfeld discovered an old antique loom in an attic in a home that he originally rented in Maine and started experimenting with it. As he delved into weaving seriously, he took lessons using a loom. Weaving became a passion as he transposed his art background into fabric design and tapestries. His work gives a special warmth in three dimensions which the medium of wool provides that is not found in oil paintings. “Heat Wave” (1999), ”Improvisation” (2008), “Cabin in the Sky” (2000), and the series of ”Hunter Variations” (2015), are favorite tapestries that appeal to me because of their warm colors and use of geometric shapes.
These beautiful tapestries, due to their size and expertise, belong in museums or in libraries but can be enjoyed in your own home as well in this book. I recommend this book highly without hesitation.
Dorenfeld died during the winter of 2023, but he lives on in his work. Be sure to see his work at the Caldbeck Gallery in Rockland during the month of May. There will be a book signing on May 5th, 2023, from 5 to 7 p.m. Proceeds of the sale of the book go to the Morris David Dorenfeld Foundation to provide for other fiber artists.
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