Mark Adams Catalogue Raisonné of Tapestries by akohsassociates

00 Mark Adams CRT ends [18 May].indd 2

6/19/12 3:08 PM

00 Mark Adams CRT ends [18 May].indd 3

6/19/12 3:08 PM

00 Mark Adams CRT ends [18 May].indd 4

6/19/12 3:08 PM

Catalogue Raisonné of Tapestries

published by

Stanford University Libraries, California in a ssociation with

e ssays by

Oakland Museum of California Racine Art Museum, Wisconsin San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles, California

Melissa Leventon Paul Chadbourne Mills

Contents

vii

Preface Wayne Thiebaud

Preface Christine Jeffers

xiii

Foreword Bruce W. Pepich

xvii

Foreword Peter Blank

xxi

Introduction Deborah Corsini and Joyce Hulbert

Tapestries Paul Chadbourne Mills

Mark Adams Melissa Leventon

Catalogue Raisonné Notes

Artists, Weavers, and Workshops

Artist’s, Workshops’, and Weavers’ Insignia

Catalogue Raisonné of Tapestries

151

Unwoven Design Cartoons

155

Alphabetical Index

159

Tapestry Terms and Definitions Deborah Corsini and Pam Rino Evans

163

Works Illustrated

167

Biography

173

Bibliography

179

Commissions

181

Selected Public Collections

182

Colophon

Preface Wayne Thiebaud

Mark Adams was an actor. He understands masquerade and how a thing can become

It is in the nature of art to speak

something other than what it is. Mark is well-footed (size 13A) in order to stand his ground

ambiguously, like an oracle.

on a down-to-earth world we all share. This artist has a regular and respectable life. He is

an accomplished designer, makes accurate plans, speaks clearly, and uses a rich tradition

—Max Friedlander

of craft and technology to produce his highly professional mosaic murals, stained-glass windows, and hand-woven tapestries. At a glance, his paintings seem to reflect this same organized and familiar world—a world based upon a stoic conventional rationalism. But let us be on guard, as a serious audience must be. For it is easy to miss what is unfamiliar about these carefully staged works—a behind-the-scenes spectacle that encourages the viewer to remove those worldly shoes in order to intimately participate in a quiet drama. Here is a lone flower in a container, an ordinary substance and its shadow. And it probably has a name (Peony? Poppy? Petunia?). But what a curious little thing it becomes under close observation. Is it an outer-space moon flower, a man-made model of a flower, or a fugitive blossom from a Turkish rug, a runaway floral-design fragment from its former home in a medieval tapestry? Look at this watercolor of a well-placed object. But where is this place—inside or outside? Is it on a glass tabletop? Or is that magical surface an ice rink reflecting both winter cold and summer warmth in a dark-washed sunset sky for a backdrop? And what in the world is the reason for a simple glass of water to become as clear as crystal? Is it a holy fluid or a chemist’s alcohol participating in a diabolical experiment? And those inexplicable highlights must be tiny glass fragments left over from stainedglass windows, stuck and fixed in this special world of stunning relationships. Unmask this sly producer and write your own plays to inhabit these works. Thank you, Mark, for these secrets of your heart and for reminding us that the alien world we do not know is our one hope of grasping what our world can be. Text written for Mark Adams, originally printed in catalogue, Mark Adams published by Chronicle Books, 1985

opposite: Beth Van Hoesen (1926 – 2010) Mark and Wayne, c.1977

vii

Preface Christine Jeffers

Our exhibition, Mark Adams, is the first exhibition of Adams’s tapestries since a 1990 exhibition at the Palo Alto Cultural Center (now the Palo Alto Arts Center). The San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles is pleased to organize this exhibition of his tapestries. The work of such a prolific and creative artist, never before exhibited in this fashion in totality, will certainly be a vision to behold as the tapestries he designed grace our gallery walls alongside his painted design cartoons. Big, beautiful, colorful statements of how Mark saw life and lived it are meant to be seen in person and experienced firsthand. Mounting this wonderful exhibition and making Mark’s work accessible helps us to recognize that textiles are objects of beauty, use, and deep meaning. We are thankful to David Van Hoesen and Judy Bailey, Trustees for the E. Mark Adams and Beth Van Hoesen Adams Trust, for connecting with the Museum and helping to make this exhibition possible. In addition, we appreciate the generous loans from the Van Hoesen family, Jessie Jonas, and other lending institutions including the Oakland Museum of California, the Racine Art Museum, and the Stanford University Libraries, Special Collections. We are very grateful to donors Henry and Judy Wagner for the two earliest tapestries in the exhibition—Night Banner, 1955, and Pavilion, 1959—now in the collection of this museum. The first museum of its kind in the United States, the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles advocates on behalf of quilts and textiles as a distinctly accessible and inclusive visual art practiced by peoples worldwide. With compelling exhibitions of historical and contemporary textiles, engaging gallery walks and artist talks for adults, hands-on art making workshops, and a highly successful in-school educational outreach program for K-12 students, we aim to increase the public’s awareness, understanding, and appreciation of quilts and textiles as a form of artistic and cultural expression. It was not a fluke that the Museum came into creation when it did at the zenith of the local textile arts movement. Founded in 1977 by the Santa Clara Valley Quilt Association, the Museum was the brainchild of a group of forward-thinking women who—inspired by the back-to-the-land movement, the women’s movement, and the Bicentennial—sought

opposite: Beam Scrap, 1978

to create an institution where quilts and textiles, and the lives of the women who made them, would receive the attention and respect they deserved. Begun with members’ donations of antique and contemporary quilts, the Museum’s permanent collection of over 850 objects has grown to include a remarkable ethnic textile collection. Recent substantial additions to the collection include the Porcella Collection of ethnic textiles and garments and the Lucy Hilty Quilt Collection. A key objective is for the collection to recognize and reflect the central role that Bay Area artists played in the quilting and textile arts revival during the second half of the twentieth century. The collection currently contains representative pieces of many renowned local and national artists, and the Museum plans to continue to develop its holdings in contemporary art forms. Collaborations with other museums that foster collections such as the Oakland Museum of California, the Racine Art Museum, and the Stanford University Libraries, Special Collections, provide a chance for individuals to see and enjoy pieces of art that they might never have otherwise seen. It is a wonderful gift that these institutions have made to our Museum and the community in lending Mark’s work for viewing. His work is so inspirational and also demonstrates the collaborative effort between artist and weaver. I have learned that nothing is easy when working with fiber and textiles, and that the care that the weavers took in helping Mark translate his painted images into three-dimensional objects of great beauty is extraordinary. This is a wonderful and very special exhibition that heralds our thirty-fifth anniversary. The next thirty five years for the Museum will be exciting, engaging, and empowering as we continue to grow our collection, create more ambitious programs, partner with new groups, and seek out the best in traditional and contemporary fiber and textile art for our galleries. We hope we can count on you to be there to participate in our future. Christine Jeffers, CFRE executive director, san jose museum of quilts & textiles, c alifornia

opposite: Lily in Shadow, 1982

Foreword Bruce W. Pepich

The artist Mark Adams seemed to move effortlessly from painting and printmaking to

One makes use of pigments, but

stained glass and fibers throughout a career that spanned the second half of the twenti-

one paints with one’s feelings.

eth century. Although well known across the United States for his works on paper, Adams is also recognized in California as an accomplished designer of stained glass architectural

— Jean-Siméon Chardin

commissions for public sites and private homes in the region. However, when Adams, the painter, was exposed to textiles, he became intensely committed to the medium. He began designing tapestries in the 1950s, creating fiber works throughout his professional career into the early 1990s. Although Adams is now most frequently acknowledged for his watercolors, this exhibition focuses on his work in textiles, placing the medium squarely at the center of his aesthetic development and career. Tapestry can be a challenging medium to master. When painters work with weaving studios the results are not always a guaranteed success. An artist cannot set out assuming that every painted composition can simply be used as the basis for the creation of an identical fiber sibling. While these two media have to be mounted on the wall and share common elements of visual design, there are ways in which they diverge. Woven wool cannot duplicate the way light catches the surface of brushwork in oil paint. At the same time, the saturation of color in dyed wool and the way fiber captures and holds light provide the surfaces of these works with a different kind of visual excitement along with a three-dimensional surface. Most importantly, weaving provides a unique shading effect that can be used to depict dimensional objects that renders them differently than in a painted composition. Adams’s work with Jean Lurçat in the 1950s introduced him to Lurçat’s vision that tapestry was no longer intended to imitate paintings, but to be a visual art form in its own right. Lurçat, a master designer, led the revival of twentieth century tapestry in France. Adams was an accomplished colorist and designer whether he was composing a watercolor painting or a textile. In his work, Adams displayed a love of everyday subject matter and an interest in a visually spare realism that was strongly influenced by his initial training in abstraction. He also studied the work of Henri Matisse and the great painter’s influence

opposite: Barn with Full Moon, 1990

xiii

can be seen in Adams visual arrangements and subtle, yet rich color sense. Working in watercolor provided Adams with a keen sense of the fine changes in value and shading employed to control color in this medium. His knowledge of printmaking also acquainted Adams with a complex multi-step process in which the application of color and line in the finished work must be well thought-out and carefully orchestrated at each stage of creation. These experiences became essential tools when planning his fiber compositions where color and form are not created as directly as they are in painting. By choosing non-precious objects—bowls, a few flowers in a glass jar, or something as prosaic as cabbage leaves—Adams elevates the everyday so that the viewer begins to better appreciate the beauty in the things with which we are constantly in contact, but often overlook. His landscape subjects focus on conventionally beautiful aspects of nature that are readily available to all—sunsets, isolated images of flowers, a pond or stream. In these choices he suggests that a simple beauty, one that has an almost spiritual purity, is readily available for all to see and touch if we only take the time to notice. In his later watercolors, this message is communicated in a relatively small-scale that is well suited for residential spaces. Tapestry provided Adams with a much larger format in which to present his message as he could produce works that range from five to 12 feet in width. Many of his large textiles are installed in public locations, including places of worship, corporate offices, train stations, and airports, allowing the artist to communicate with large numbers of people outside the somewhat rarified settings of museums and galleries. The inclusion of Adams’s design cartoons alongside their respective tapestries is a welcome addition to this exhibition. These painted and collaged paper compositions were the artist’s visual plan for his weaving and were created in the same size as he intended for the completed textile. Exhibiting these drawings provides a glimpse into Adams’s artistic working methods and his thought process. Akin to paint-by-number kits, some of the exhibited pieces bear his notations for the specific colored yarns needed to capture the gradient shadings he desired. In other design cartoons, the viewer can see how Adams changed his thoughts, cutting images out of the arrangement and collaging new visual elements onto the painted and drawn sections. In one, it is clear that Adams has added paper to the edges of his original painting to extend the width of the final composition. The design cartoons function as a glimpse into Adams’s mental sketchbook as he worked out visual details for the work. Comparing the paper model with the finished textile also attests to Adams’s perseverance in seeing his vision achieved and is a testament to the thorough dedication of the weavers who worked diligently to maintain the above: Beth’s Lettuce Soup, 1984 below: Toe Shoes, 1993

xiv

fidelity of his vision in their studios. As a painter who designed textiles but did not create them himself, Adams was identified with the painting field of the late-twentieth century rather than the contemporary

fiber art field in which crafts artists experimented with materials and techniques to produce new and unusual sculptural forms. Today, some fiber artists are again examining the possibilities of bringing their individual knowledge to ateliers and merging their solo studio techniques with large-scale industrial applications in which the individual artist is not always the sole creator of the artwork. In this light, we can take a fresh look at Adams’s work. By ranging back and forth between painting and tapestry, his work in both media benefitted as the experience in one infused and informed his work in the other. This exhibition provides an opportunity to revisit the importance of textiles to this artist’s career and reevaluate the effect Adams’s tapestries can have on the contemporary fibers field. There are lessons here to be learned by the casual viewer and the artist alike. We welcome the opportunity this exhibition provides to do so. Bruce W. Pepich executive director and cur ator of collections, r acine art museum, wisconsin

above: Kihei from Kula, 1985

Foreword Peter Blank

Mark Adams was embarking on a very uncertain journey for an American artist when he first considered working in tapestry. We have no significant history of support for tapestry artists in this country that is comparable to the nations of Europe. France, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, and the Netherlands have strong tapestry traditions that date to the fifteenth and sixteen centuries, and in some cases back to the twelfth century. But during his time in New York in 1948 Adams was inspired by the medieval tapestries he encountered at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Cloisters galleries, where he would have seen the Nine Heroes tapestries (South Lowlands, 1400 – 1410) and the Unicorn tapestries (South Netherlands, 1495 – 1505). Eventually, Adams’s desire to adopt the medium of tapestry would take him and his wife, the artist Beth Van Hoesen, to France to apprentice with the famed French tapestry artist Jean Lurçat. The San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles exhibition on Mark Adams’s tapestry production not only displays many of his magnificent tapestry works, it also further establishes his place as one of the founders of a modern American tapestry practice that thrives today. The Stanford University Libraries take great pride in housing the Mark Adams Papers and Artwork, circa 1950 – 2006, acquired in 2011 (Special Collections - Manuscript Collection, M1747). The Mark Adams archive will find Stanford a very suitable home. The University’s long tradition of excellence and leadership in cultural, technological, and scientific innovation is certainly reflected in the holdings of the Libraries’ Special Collections unit, where substantial collections of pioneering American artists, writers, and designers are featured. From the Buckminster Fuller archive to the Allen Ginsberg archive, Special Collections offers unique and unduplicatable research opportunities in the arts for Stanford students, staff, and faculty, and draws researchers from around the world. The Mark Adams archive joins a number of archives and collections of inspired and inventive artists with a specific California focus. These include the papers of the sculptor Ruth Asawa, whose looped and tied wire pieces are permanently installed in the Herzog & de Meuron designed de Young Museum in San Francisco; a collection of sketchbooks, prints, and drawings by Matt Phillips, who was instrumental in the reestablishment of the monoprint and monotype

above: Beth Van Hoesen (1926 – 2010) Mark Holding Magnifying Glass, 1963 opposite: Beth Van Hoesen (1926 – 2010) Mark’s Studio Table in S.F., 1954

xvii

printmaking process in America; and Lynn Hershman-Leeson, whose papers document her innovatory moves from painting and drawing into new interactive media and computer-based art. Archival collections are like gold to researchers. They provide veins of unique, original, unpublished materials that are the raw, unprocessed data for dissertations, books, essays, articles, and student papers. Their very “unprocessed” nature is what makes them so exciting for scholars, and so difficult for librarians and archivists to work with when first brought into the holding institution. The Adams material exceeds sixty linear feet of files, papers, letters, and so on, which must be processed before a researcher can access the collection. The processing operation begins with sorting and rehousing the material in suitable, acid-free enclosures and containers. During this processing operation a detailed guide to the collection known as a “finding aid” is written, which provides researchers with a catalog of what the collection entails. In addition to these files that can be measured in linear feet, the Adams collection also contains actual tapestries (including the first major textile piece Adams executed, the six foot by nine foot Queen of Heaven embroidery, 1952), stained glass, drawings, photographs, and, significantly, dozens of painted tapestry design cartoons, which pose special problems for the archivist and conservator. Tapestry artists create many studies long before the weaving process actually begins. Eventually the design effort evolves into a tapestry-sized colored design for the tapestry, a “cartoon,” which guides the weavers as they set up the loom and produce the tapestry. Depending on the type of loom used, the colored design cartoon is incorporated into the weaving process in different ways, but think of it as a road map the weavers can see through the stationary warps of the loom as they weave the tapestry. Since the tapestry is woven from the backside, the cartoon must be created in reverse. Adams’s paper design cartoons often have revisions cut and pasted or taped onto the original. After the weavings were completed, the design cartoons were folded many times and stored, which now makes them difficult to unfold and examine. They must be flattened, treated as necessary by conservators who specialize in preserving paper materials, then either refolded or rolled, and stored in climate controlled conditions. Along the way they will be photographed so a digital image of the cartoon can be studied without requiring the actual physical cartoon to be retrieved from storage and opened. The entire processing effort for the archive, especially for the design cartoons, is substantial and requires considerable financial investment, for which the Libraries rely on the beneficence of above: Imogen Cunningham, 1964 Photograph of Beth Van Hoesen and Mark Adams In front of Adams’s tapestry Great Wing below: Minor White, 1950 Mark Adams

xviii

donors and funding agencies. Once the collection is fully processed, the Adams material will be properly preserved and housed in a manner which will encourage future study, with online access to digital images of the design cartoon component. In addition to these design cartoons, the Adams archive holds other equally fascinating items, including sketches, designs, mock-ups, and brochures from Adams’s early career

as a graphic designer. The archive also contains a group of photographs which include portraits by famed photographers Imogen Cunningham and Minor White. The Minor White material is especially valuable and deserves special comment. White taught photography at the California School of Fine Arts (today’s San Francisco Art Institute), and through the San Francisco artists’ community White and Adams came in contact. During 1950 White photographed an extensive series of portraits of Adams, some of which are published.1 White is especially well known for his Sequence series. Each Sequence is a visual poetic of a small number of images White referred to as a “cinema of stills.” Using the Adams portraits, White created his Fifth Sequence, which was exhibited at the San Francisco Museum of Art in 1952. Besides a number of loose portraits from this series, some of which are included in the San Jose exhibition, the Adams archive also contains a very important, unpublished maquette of Fifth Sequence, with four mounted Adams portraits. Within the holdings of Special Collections, this splendid assembly of Minor White’s California photographs can be seen in conjunction with other important photo graphers who worked in California, including Oliver Gagliani and Morley Baer, and the still active Ira Nowinski. The acquisition of the Mark Adams Papers and Artwork, circa 1950 – 2006 would not have been possible without the guidance and support of Roberto Trujillo, the Charles & Frances Field Curator in Special Collections, and it would have been difficult, if not impossible, to search through the unprocessed collection for the items that have now made their way into the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles exhibition without the assistance of Glynn Edwards, Timothy Noakes, and Bill O’Hanlon of Special Collections. Additional support at Stanford has been provided by Stu Snydman, Wayne Vanderkuil, Astrid Smith, Maria Grandinette, Deborah Fox, Doris Cheung, and Matt Pearson. Special thanks are due Deborah Corsini, Curator, Joyce Hulbert, Collections Manager, and their colleagues at the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles, for making this wonderful exhibition a reality for Bay Area lovers of the fine arts. A very special thank you goes to Anne Kohs, whose knowledge of California artists and expertise in working with artists’ collections is unparalleled. Peter Blank head libr arian, art & architecture libr ary, stanford universit y, c alifornia

above: Minor White, 1950 Mark Adams 1. See White’s Mirrors, Messages, Manifestations (New York: Aperture, 1969; 2nd ed. 1982), p. 162, 165, and Peter Bunnell’s Minor White: The Eye that Shapes (Princeton, N.J.: Art Museum, Princeton University, 1989), plate 7, p. 256.

below: Minor White, 1950 Mark Adams

xix

Introduction Deborah Corsini Joyce Hulbert

In the early twenty-first century, pictorial imagery in woven textile art is actively

Adams was most excited about color—pure

created and widely exhibited by artists in great part due to the recent advancement

color, bright color, big areas of color, flat areas

of computerized weaving looms and digital printing technology. In the 1950s, however,

of color, the relationship of colors to each other,

imagery in textiles was primarily found in the form of hand-woven tapestry. The tradition

and what color could do to the eyes.

of pictorial tapestry is long lived and found in most cultures throughout time. Tapestry in the Western European sense, the focus of this exhibition, is prized for being highly

—Paul Chadbourne Mills (1924 – 2004)

detailed and often grand-scaled objets d’art. Images of empire and courtly life prevail in European tapestry, with historical weaving centers predominately in Belgium and France. In mid-twentieth century France, this traditional imagery would take an evolutionary change in the hands of artist Jean Lurçat. Working within a depressed weaving industry following World War II, Lurçat is credited with re-invigorating French tapestry with his dramatic imagery and his formal innovation of the tapestry creation process of painted cartoon (a full-scale painted rendering of the tapestry design) and spare color palette. Enter Mark Adams, a young painter from San Francisco interested in the intersection of art and architecture. Attracted by the new designs he saw in contemporary French tapestry, Adams went to France in 1955 to study the art form with Jean Lurçat and began his life-long interest and body of work in tapestry. The San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles exhibition, Mark Adams, takes a look at Adams’s unique body of work in tapestry over the span of his career, and includes several of the painted cartoons that guide each tapestry’s creation. Adams’s early works in tapestry were woven at weaving ateliers in France, but as his exploration of the art form grew in the 1970s, his work converged with a thriving Bay Area textile art movement. Mark Adams and his tapestry designs would create a catalyst for what would become a California-based tapestry renaissance that still has international influence.

opposite: Self Portrait with Eyeshade, 1990

xxi

The greater San Francisco Bay Area is the fertile backdrop of the Mark Adams story. In the late 1960s through the 1980s, this region was blossoming with the rich diversity of the textile arts movement. Textile departments and studies were established in institutions such as the California College of Arts & Crafts (now California College of Arts) and the Decorative Arts Departments at the University of California at Berkeley, San Francisco State University, and the University of California at Davis. Teachers like Trude Guermonprez, a Bauhaus trained designer/weaver who taught at CCAC, and husband and wife Ed Rossbach and Katherine Westphal, an innovative artist extraordinaire and a surface designer, were highly regarded by their legions of students for their passionate pursuit of textile exploration, keen craftsmanship, and innovative approaches to the expressive possibilities of the textile medium. In Guermonprez’s beginning weaving class, students built their own frame looms and experimented with tapestry techniques. Flourishing under the guidance of Margery Livingston and Candace Crockett, San Francisco State also had an ambitious textile department. Outside instructors like Anna Lisa Hedstrom and Jean-Pierre Larochette were often brought in to teach workshops in Japanese shibori dyeing techniques and French Aubusson tapestry. Two alternative schools located in Berkeley—Pacific Basin School of Textile Arts (established in 1973 by Inger Jensen and Pat McGaw) and Fiberarts Center for the Textile Arts (also established in 1973 by Gyongy Laky, Nance O’Banion, Susan Wick, Chere Lai Mah, and Lia Cook)—offered workshops in an exciting range of fiber techniques that ran the gamut of spinning, weaving, dyeing, basketry, tablet weaving, ikat, felting, and surface design. Notable teachers including Peter Collingwood, Lillian Elliott, and Yoshiko Wada conducted workshops and seminars and expanded the textile vocabulary. In San Francisco, The Yarn Depot, housed in the same space as Dorothy Liebes’ former weaving studio, was a mecca for weaving supplies, yarn, and information. In the upstairs workroom, Kay Garrett taught beginning and advanced weaving and her unique, fail-proof method of warping the loom from the front. Garrett also brought in an astonishing array of teachers including Theo Morman (creator of the Theo Morman technique), tablet weaver Hélène Durbin, and tapestry weavers Hal Painter and Jim Brown. This was a time when weaving shops like Straw into Gold in Oakland and The Spinning Wheel in San Francisco were thriving as artists, students, and hobbyists sought and found a variety of materials for their creative inspirations. Textile exhibitions were also becoming more commonplace and the designer craftsman was transforming and becoming recognized as a textile artist. On Hyde Street in San Francisco, Margery Annenberg’s intimate gallery featured solo exhibitions with Ed Rossbach, Trude Guermonprez, Barbara Shawcroft, Dominic DiMare, and Katherine Westphal, and showcased textiles from cultures around the world. Established in 1977 by

xxii

Louise Allrich, the Allrich Gallery in San Francisco exhibited internationally recognized fiber artists Olga de Amaral and local Berkeley-based artist Lia Cook. In addition to showcasing contemporary fiber art, the Allrich Gallery also featured a number of tapestry exhibits. And in this same year, 1977, a group of bold women, including Gloria Debs Kahn and Sylvia Moore, founded the American Museum of Quilts & Related Arts, which began its own remarkable journey as the first museum of its kind to recognize, appreciate, and preserve quilts and other textile arts. Celebrating its 35th year, and finally its permanent home, the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles continues to showcase and preserve the art, craft, and history of textiles. Nationally recognized and among a handful of institutions in the world that focus on quilts and textiles, the Museum has a significant and rich historical heritage. It offers a substantial range of exhibitions that draw from its collection, the national and international textile art movement (including groundbreaking, themed group shows that look at a particular topic or technique—Scrap Art, Primary Structures, Navajo Weaving, Core Memory), and the work and legacy of individual artists such as Mary Balzer Buskirk, Mariane Clayden, Virginia Davis, Radka Donnell, Jean Ray Laury, Mary Walker Phillips, Yvonne Porcella, Joan Schulze, Lydia Van Gelder, Katherine Westphal, and Mark Adams. It is instructive to consider this lively textile art movement when looking at Adams’s body of work in tapestry. Due to its strength, one might see his work as an island of singleminded resolve in a sea of self-expression and technique exploration of the late 1970s and ‘80s. As Adams sought to bend the exacting tradition of French tapestry to a wellestablished vision through his paintings, he, too, found new ideas and opportunities to expand the medium’s potential through a specialized school, an atelier, for the study of tapestry weaving—the San Francisco Tapestry Workshop (SFTW). It all started in 1976 when Adams offered a tapestry design to be woven on a loom for a public demonstration at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor during its exhibition Five Centuries of Tapestry. From this experience, four talented artists involved in that project—Ruth Tannenbaum (Scheuer), Phoebe McAfee, Ernestine Bianchi, and JeanPierre Larochette—formed the SFTW in 1977. In addition to weaving tapestry banners for Judy Chicago’s Dinner Party project and the interiors for Temple Emanu-El in San Francisco, this workshop forged a creative and productive relationship with Mark Adams. From his earliest work with Jean Lurçat, when he wove samples to learn how to design for tapestry, Adams understood tapestry structure. Through his cartoons, Adams offered to the SFTW the vision and images of an accomplished modernist painter invested in the technique of tapestry weaving. An example of this can be seen in the use of hachures (a triangular, systematic technique for color blending). In the words of SFTW master weaver

xxiii

Rudi Richardson, “Mark would represent a hachure by a brush stroke, and be able to discuss such particulars as the inside and outside shape of the hachure as a design element.” Two examples of early works woven at the SFTW are White Petunias and Pond in Golden Gate Park, and examples of both cartoons and tapestries are represented here to illuminate this transformative process. The SFTW, in turn, offered to Mark Adams a dialogue with American-trained weavers responding to and executing his tapestry designs. Adams had always been known as an accomplished colorist, and his designs created a groundswell of color exploration in the tapestry community. Under the training of Jean-Pierre Larochette and Yael Lurie, SFTW weavers were well versed in the combination of yarn blends and weaving technique. Adams added to this capacity what might be called a pointillist or impressionist use of color, where “really unusual” colors would be mixed or placed next to one another in a composition to great effect. Once the SFTW disbanded, Adams would forge a unique and groundbreaking collaboration with SFTW master weavers Richardson and McAfee, during which daily conversations, studio visits, and weaving samples would inform his development of the art form. Lotus, Sumatra is an astounding work in technique and color, shimmering quietly into the third dimension. Each of the tapestries created by Adams after the San Francisco Airport Commission (1981 – 1983) were woven exclusively by accomplished artists Richardson and McAfee. Mark Adams was a renaissance artist and was highly regarded for his exquisite, impeccably rendered watercolors and for his larger stained glass windows and architectural murals. With his tapestries, he also demonstrated a keen understanding of the particular details, precision, restraint, and possibilities of the medium. Featured in this exhibit are some of his earliest tapestries woven in France. Among these, Flight of Angels is a grand-scale tapestry with repeating motifs of feathered wings and patterned leaf-like shapes. Cascading and undulating on a yellow ground, the piece expresses an abstracted view of the cosmos, spirituality, and nature. Other aspects of Adams’s oeuvre are landscape, nature, and still life. Woven at the SFTW, Sunset with Palms depicts a dramatic sky populated by speckled cloud forms. The silhouettes of two tall, very thin, and dark palms intersect the image and ground, framing the piece. This tapestry captures that magic moment when sky and day are transformed and nature’s supreme beauty is witnessed and humbly revered. Known for his intimate, perfect watercolors of simple objects—sugar bowl, red shoes, a flower pot, a box—many of his tapestries also depict singular and secular subjects— flowers of many varieties, still life vignettes composed of flower, vase, fruit, cloth, shadow, and reflections. Glass of Water is a tour de force image that captures the simplicity of a

xxiv

transparent glass of liquid. Under Adams’s skillful rendering, a clear glass of water is elegantly depicted and transformed into an almost spiritual and pure essence. The obvious question arises: is the glass half full or half empty? In Adams’s case, and resonating from the tapestries in this exhibit, the glass is indeed half full, filled by an extraordinary artist, an observer, a craftsman, and a colorist, whose unique vision and contributions to tapestry are like no other. Deborah Corsini cur ator, san jose museum of quilts & textiles, c alifornia

Joyce Hulbert collections manager, san jose museum of quilts & textiles, c alifornia

xxv

Tapestries Paul Chadbourne Mills

Mark Adams’s tapestries display mastery and a full appreciation of the medium’s perceptual and technical complexities—of what is involved in creating a design to be woven as a tapestry, rather than a painting imitated in wool. And yet he continually explored subjects for his tapestry designs that are by tradition alien to the medium, and especially to the modern expression of tapestry of which Jean Lurçat was a pioneer. Adams was able to select areas of visual experience that seem least congenial to tapestry design and, in seemingly effortless displays of virtuoso skill, created unique, fresh, and convincing tapestries. Adams’s strong interest in color and in working in monumental scale first led him to explore the possibilities of tapestry. It is a medium in which rich, intense colors usually associated with highly reflective surfaces (glass, mosaics, heavily varnished oil paintings) are possible, because of the transparency of natural wool fiber. Light penetrates the dyed surface of wool and is reflected back through the dye, producing a deep vibrancy. Adams’s first tapestry effort, Queen of Heaven, depicted Mary robed and crowned, afloat amid stars, sun, and moon. It was exhibited at the M. H. de Young Memorial Museum in San Francisco in 1952, the year it was created. The iconography of Queen of Heaven was traditional, but Adams’s design reflected the modern manner of Matisse’s cutouts: the simple, unmodulated areas of robe, the hint of abstract divisions in the sky, the fanciful outlines of stars. Adams himself thought of this work as being in the manner of Matisse. However, what works in cut paper does not necessarily translate with the same effect to warp and weft. Adams encountered problems with this approach to tapestry design, which he later learned to understand and to overcome. In Queen of Heaven Adams improvised the tapestry in embroidery on a rayon backing. It was ambitious in size, nine feet by six feet. (Technically, the piece was not a success; the embroidery was too heavy to be supported by the rayon backing, which sagged. Later he had the design woven at Aubusson and it is owned by the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts.)

opposite: Queen of Heaven, 1958 (cat. no. 017) above: 1. Photographer Unknown, 1952 Mark Adams in front of Adams’s design cartoon for the embroidered tapestry Queen of Heaven

When Adams arrived in Saint-Céré to work with Lurçat, he was most excited about color—pure color, bright color, big areas of color, flat areas of color, the relationship of colors to each other, and what color could do to the eyes. Tapestry was especially appealing to Adams because of the enormous design possibilities that could be achieved with color. Lurçat contradicted Adams’s ideas about color and tapestries, stressing the importance of value over color. Adams was told that a tapestry design must be based on value, because wool will eventually fade, a hazard to any design that relies strongly on subtle relationships of fixed, unchanging colors. Lurçat also made Adams conscious of the problem of using flat color in tapestry design, maintaining that there is nothing flatter than a square yard of woven color. In a painting, there is variation in the brushwork—paint on the surface will be perhaps thicker, perhaps thinner; there may be some transparency of color—all making for an enriched surface. In tapestry that kind of variation is not possible; both wool color and woven texture are consistent and uniform. Adams related that he and the other apprentices would put in a day’s work transferring Lurçat’s drawings to full-sized design cartoons and then keying areas by number to the colors of the wool. Adams rose early to work on his own designs for several hours before his day with Lurçat began. “Lurçat would come to my room to criticize the designs that I had painted on the back of the wallpaper. The first visit, he asked what the design was for, to which I responded, ‘Tapestry, of course.’ Lurçat’s response was, ‘Non, c’est trop sec’—too dry. ‘It is like a Matisse cutout, it is for appliqué, it is not for tapestry.’ After several such visits he finally approved two of the designs, Burning Bush and Night Banner, with the words ‘C’est ça! C’est une tapisserie.’” Adams found working under Lurçat exciting and informative, but discovered that Lurçat’s methods were not always compatible with his own. Lurçat insisted on an outline design cartoon, indicating the colors by number rather than actually painting the design, in order to eliminated the danger of being seduced by painterly effects that would not be reproduced in the weaving. Adams said, “My main problem with this way of working was that I simply can’t design something in color, or even in value, by memory; I’ve got to see what it looks like.” He found he could work best full size in color, and soon discarded Lurçat’s method of using just lines and numbers. Using Matisse’s method of cutting paper shapes, he was able to let the design cartoon develop, often making as many as twelve designs before he felt it was finished. He used poster paint on butcher paper; to gain an above: 2. Photographer Unknown, c.1960 Mark Adams preparing cartoon design for tapestry

idea of the rich colors of the wool, Adams varnished color chips of his final selections and

below: 3. Night Banner, 1955 (cat no. 005)

over the colors.

sent them to the dyer. Guided by the chips, the dyer dyed wool to order and returned a chaplet of colors for the artist’s approval. To prevent weaver errors, Adams also numbered

In his later works, Mark Adams specified his choices from a palette of forty to fifty colors, occasionally deciding upon a strand with two or three colors blended in. This mélange achieved subtle variations in tone. Adams reported that he continued to work with a design cartoon at full scale. It was a method that enabled him to anticipate most problems that can occur when a design cartoon is translated into the vocabulary of weaving and sent to the workshop. Elements of the fortuitous, of intuition, emerge as the design cartoon develops. Mark Adams’s successful balance of the influences of Matisse and Lurçat in his early work is evident in the tapestry Burning Bush of 1955. Though influenced by Lurçat, the design was also strongly influenced by Moorish mosaic and tile designs Adams saw in Spain and North Africa prior to arriving in Saint-Céré. The orange-red background is enlivened by an insistent pattern of lozenges covering the entire surface. Each is almost volumetric, highlighted at the top, shadowed below, but basically the same color as the background. This background resembles not only tiles, but also certain patterned and ornamented wall surfaces of Spanish baroque palaces that create rich, animated surfaces without losing a planar quality. From a distance this background surface reads almost as a simple plane of red, but when seen closer at hand, the liveliness of the lozenge pattern reveals itself. The burning bush is, of course, a liturgical subject, the bush through which God spoke to Moses. The tapestry image shows a mandorla of flame surrounding the skeleton of a cactuslike plant. From a distance, the golden yellow aura reads as a flat form whose outline is highly animated with tongues of flame. A closer look reveals shading of the form— dark, swirling starlike lines within it, star forms outside. In comparing this work with Adams’s first fabric essay, Queen of Heaven, with its planar, flat forms, one sees that Adams kept certain qualities of Matisse forms, but has avoided the “trop sec” quality of plain cut paper and achieved the fullest possible animation of surface and contour in the spirit encouraged by Lurçat. A large set of fourteenth-century tapestries, The Apocalypse of Saint John, in the cathedral at Anger, France, had a major impact on Adams’s work in tapestry. Historically very important, this series of tapestries was the source of Lurçat’s reevaluation of tapestry design. From The Apocalypse of Saint John came the inspiration for one of the most distinctive motifs of Adams’s early tapestries—the wing. Adams’s use of the wing has some vague connotation of the medieval, but escapes any sense of overt historicizing. The articulation of the wing image in his work came about slowly. Wing of 1960 has only the simplest of feather forms, although even this early wing seems gigantic, possessing the characteristic sense of darkness and shadow from which it emerges in awesome grandeur.

above: 4. Burning Bush, 1955 (cat. no. 003) below: 5. Wing, 1960 (cat no. 036)

The wing image of Great Wing is much more highly developed and richly textured with feathers. The banks of feathers are indicated by no fewer than five different semi abstract schemes, ranging from short dashes through curving ribbons to branches and 6. Great Wing, 1961 (cat. no. 039)

bold bands. The colors are brilliant, but, as in much of Adams’s work, the effect depends less upon subtlety of color, more upon boldness of contrasts of dark and light.

The wings of Flight of Angels are actually the upper portions of seven wings boldly shadowed and patterned with simple feather outlines. Those wings twist and turn across a space they share with nine colorful abstract wings. The total effect is like the flurry of a flock of birds that, when suddenly frightened, all take flight at once.

7. Flight of Angels, 1962 (cat. no. 047)

8. Profusion, 1965 (cat. no. 058)

In the San Francisco Bay Area in the 1950s, a form of abstract expressionism emerged that was characterized by giant canvases covered with swirling patterns of thousands of tiny brush strokes. Some of the paintings can be seen as an abstract mille fleur, and they come to mind as one sees Adams’s tapestry Profusion. It is a sign of his daring and curiosity of mind that he would attempt to use an almost formless abstraction as a basis for tapestry, that he would find in this manner of abstraction the possibility of the animated surfaces so successful in tapestry, and that he would achieve this in the language of tapestry. In discussing Profusion Adams recalled that he “wanted to see what could be done in some other directions than either flat or hachured [color gradation that is accomplished through a weaving pattern that looks like chop marks] color value. I just started putting some spots of paint on paper and began to get excited about it and the fact that there could be some sense of movement. There is that ‘countless’ appeal to it. I wanted something of which there were too many to count.” Another subject that interested Adams was still lifes, objects from nature and manmade objects, which he enlarged many times beyond their normal size. Having once defied the nineteenth-century techniques of tapestry in which minute gradations of color and tone occur, Adams here proved that he could show the tonal variations in a flower or grape without losing his modernity. In a visual tour de force, he also used distinctive patterned fabrics as background for his still lifes, complex fabrics such as a Kelim rug. He depicted these fabrics accurately, as we see them, without losing the qualities for which the modern mode in tapestry has trained us to look. These tapestries look perfectly logical when seen; it is only when one realizes verbally what he has done that the daring of it all becomes apparent. These still lifes begin in the mid-1960s and continued intermittently throughout his career. At first they were flowers against plain, flat backgrounds, the gradations of tone and color within the petals handled rather abruptly, the whole design with what one might call a graphic quality, with a lot of strong silhouettes and rather flat planes. Every kind of flower seems fair game: nasturtiums, geraniums, snapdragons, ranunculas, roses, poppies. Later works achieve more subtlety of shading and depend less on graphic silhouettes. An early still life is White Block of 1977. It shows Adams’s audacity with a new twist; instead of a complex object against a plain background, he presents a very simple object, a white block, against a complex background. Thanks to the relative blankness of the white block, a touch of the graphic look still persists. The squares of the Kelim rug pattern in the background curve as they angle across the picture plane. Adams’s early tapestries had neither perspective nor shadow. In this work traditional concepts of recession into space have returned. The white bock is clearly shown with subtly different shades

9. White Block, 1976 (cat. no. 099)

displayed in its three visible sides; Adams has specified wool color in shades that very effectively portray shadow falling across the rug squares. The improbability of depicting a Kelim in three-dimensional space, in light and shadow, all in the medium of tapestry, simply doesn’t come across. To see it is like watching a skilled juggler: it all looks easy and graceful. Both White Petunias and Sauvignon Blanc show white and light objects against a plain dark background, though not the absolutely flat graphic background of the earlier still lifes; there is a hint of space in the darkness. Adams’s ability to achieve subtleties of modeling in the petunias would rival the skills of any tapestry master; the hints of pink, the above left: 10. White Petunias, 1978 (cat. no. 105) above right: 11. Savignon Blanc, 1980 (cat. no. 111)

whisper of blue serve only to articulate the ruffled bouquet of flowers that creates and occupies a three-dimensional space more aggressively than one can imagine possible in so delicate a subject. In Sauvignon Blanc, each grape is a tiny, perfect orb, with highlight and shadow; each takes its place in the varying light that falls on the cluster. The grapes most in shadow at the back pick up a touch of blue light along their frosty edges.

In Pink Rose, Adams moved to another level of technical wizardry, presenting a full and subtly modeled pink rose in a transparent glass vase which, too, has light and shadow, all upon a strongly patterned Turkish rug. While Adams pursued his mastery of tapestry more often through still lifes, the challenges of landscape occasionally intrigued him as well. Waterfall, according to the artist, does not represent some particular spot; he called it a “composite impression.” In the distance, the water of the falls is basically all one hue and value of white; it is abruptly contrasted against the dark, wet rock hidden in shadow. This unarticulated plane of light against dark incorporates some of the bolder, more graphic elements of Adams’s early work. In the foreground of the tapestry is the pool of water at the foot of the waterfall, clear as a mountain stream; beneath its surface can be seen an array of rounded stones, half a dozen of which protrude above the surface. Not only has Adams depicted the roundness of these stones with mastery, he has also suggested the wetness of the stone beneath the water and its brighter dryness where it lies

12. Pink Rose, 1983 (cat. no. 114)

above the water’s surface. The difference in the appearance of wet and dry stone is a nuance that one might reasonably attempt to portray in watercolor, with its capacity for suggesting subtle differences in shade. To make this distinction in the medium of tapestry is a remarkable accomplishment. A much later landscape, Sunset with Palms, was Adams’s response to a visit to Hawaii, where the illumination values of sky and cloud at sunset can be quite extraordinary. In this tapestry Adams captured the intensity and suddenness of the tropical sunset, upon which night falls like a dark scrim, in a scene of quiet, momentary beauty. One of the largest of Adams’s commissioned works is a tapestry that the Weyerhauser above: 13. Waterfall, 1971 (cat. no. 082)

Company commissioned for their headquarters in Tacoma, Washington. Giant loops, dark

opposite: 14. Sunset with Palms (Hawaiian Sunset No. 2), 1979 (cat. no. 109)

dark against light, of joyous cataclysms in brightly colored cumulus clouds. The work is

ovals, assert a bold presence. There is a strong sense of space, of large against small, of abstract, yet it achieves an additional high energy from suggestions of space in the overall composition.

15. Weyerhauser Tapestry, 1971 (cat. no. 083)

In Celebration of Cabeza de Vaca is without doubt the most ambitious of all Adams’s tapestries. Its brilliant glow and stunning impact would allow it to hold its own in any Spanish baroque palace. Adams depicted the sixteenth-century Spanish explorer, Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca, the first European to cross Texas, as a handsome young explorer, arms outstretched, full of joy and bold as brass, holding a bright flag above him. This flag is an ingenious and, so far as I know, completely novel conceit: the Spanish flag, quartering the arms of Castilla and León, curves to become the Lone Star flag of Texas. Much of the impact of this work comes from the sky behind the figure of Cabeza de Vaca, a midday sky full of reds and oranges and whites and blues. The explorer rises from a mysterious glow of red; the entire composition is held in by baroque swirls of rich red drapery. This is no bit of chamber music for contemplation in an apartment dining room; it is all trumpets and crashing cymbals, fortissimo, clanging joyously. Adams’s tapestry suites Gardens was created for the San Francisco International Airport, which has a most admirable program for the acquisition and commissioning of works by major Bay Area artists. The work has three sections, each depicting flowers in a Bay Area location, caught in a particular mood, light, and atmosphere. The mood, the tone of this suite of garden tapestries is a fresh and curious one. None presents blossoms in full sunlight; each creates a dreamlike vision of flowers seen by evening or against overcast skies darkened by San Francisco fog.

opposite: 16. In Celebration of Cabeza de Vaca, 1980 (cat. no. 110) above: 17. Gardens, Tapestry Suite, 1980–83. Installation at San Francisco International Airport (cat. no. 113)

Pond in Golden Gate Park shows a stand of white Japanese iris, their leaves crisply vertical and aligned, while in the background the wilder silhouettes of eucalyptus and Monterey pine reveal the pinks and yellows of sunset. Garden in San Andreas Valley has a quiet atmosphere created out of reds and blues and blacks, suggesting the changed lives of colors in the half light. The colors of the flowers here are pure and intense in a way they cannot be when elements of highlight and shadow must also be introduced. The setting is formal, with iron gate flanked by yew trees, and pond; the artist said it was “loosely based on the formal gardens of a wellknown mansion in the San Andreas Valley on an overcast day, cloudy and slightly foggy.”

opposite: 18. Pond in Golden Gate Park, 1981 (cat. no. 113a) above: 19. Garden in San Andreas Valley, 1982 (cat. no. 113b)

The third panel, Garden Outside the Gate, depicts a bed of many varieties of giant dahlia in full bloom—the full, florid, old-fashioned dahlias one hardly sees any more. They rise out of the fog full of nostalgia: Adams said they were “based on my memories of a marvelous garden of dahlias planted by Ansel Adams’s mother in West Clay Park, seen against a silhouette of the Marin Headlands at sunset.” If it is possible to conceive of depicting flowers in musical fashion, these evoke a slow second movement, in a minor key rather than a major one, for viola and cello. Most flowers are joyous and forgettable; these are haunting. Paul Chadbourne Mills (1924 – 2004) former director of the museum of c alifornia (1954 – 1970) former director of the santa barbar a museum of art (1970 – 1987)

opposite, above: 20. Preliminary design cartoon 1 for Garden Outside the Gate, 1983 (cat. no. 113c) opposite, below: 21. Preliminary design cartoon 2 for Garden Outside the Gate, 1983 (cat. no. 113c) above: 22. Garden Outside the Gate, 1983 (cat. No. 113c)

Mark Adams Melissa Leventon

Mark Adams wrote these words in 1991 after thirty-five successful years of designing

…[T]he hardest part of tapestry making is creating

tapestries—more than a hundred in total—that were thoroughly modern in both form

a design so appropriate for tapestry that it would

and subject. An unusually versatile artist, Adams, who trained as a painter at Syracuse

not be successful in any other medium.

University and with Abstract Expressionist Hans Hofmann, worked in tapestry, mosaic, prints, and stained glass, as well as several forms of painting, creating works of art both

—Mark Adams

large and small that ran the gamut from realism to abstraction. But it was in tapestry that he had his earliest success, and they remain among his most important works of art. Tapestry, with its architectural scale, long figurative tradition, and idiosyncratic use of color, first drew Adams’s attention in the late 1940s, when he saw both the medieval tapestries at the Cloisters in New York and an exhibition catalogue of modern French tapestry. Adams’s continuing interest in representational art, despite his training in abstraction, his desire to work in large scale, his interest in religious subjects, and a Matisse retrospective he saw at the Philadelphia Museum of Art that expanded his understanding of the effects color and form could have on spatial dynamics undoubtedly contributed to his interest in designing tapestries himself. To learn how, Adams apprenticed himself in 1955 to Jean Lurçat, widely regarded as the architect of modern French tapestry. Lurçat, also a painter, had reinvigorated traditional Aubusson weaving by reintroducing some key features of medieval tapestry: 1. Use a robust coarse weave. 2. Use a simplified palette of color. 3. Build the design on strong value contrasts. 4. Use shading that is unique to weaving. In so doing, Lurçat strove to divorce tapestry design from its adherence to painterly aesthetics, which he and many others blamed for the medium’s centuries-long decline. He went so far as to refuse to paint his design cartoons (the full-size designs from which tapestries are woven), instead drawing the outlines and indicating colors by number. Adams, who spent four months studying with Lurçat in France, preferred to fully paint his

opposite: 23. Beth Van Hoesen (1926 – 2010) Mark Adams (Study for Watercolor), 1980

own design cartoons, noting that he had to see the colors; he couldn’t simply carry them in his head. He also sometimes used Matisse-like paper cutouts in developing the design. Still, he adopted or adapted much else of what Lurçat taught him. The most valuable lesson he learned was the one that, as a colorist, he had the most trouble accepting and integrating into his work: what matters most in tapestry is not color, which inevitably fades, but value relationships between light and dark. The 1950s was an odd time for an American painter to pursue a career in tapestry design. Tapestry had been a popular decoration for grand homes and public buildings in the U.S. in the late nineteenth- and early twentieth-centuries. Antique European examples were enthusiastically collected by the well-to-do and there was sufficient interest in new weavings executed in traditional style to support, for a time, three domestic tapestry design studios, each employing its own, mostly French-trained weavers. All three were closed by 1934, victims of the Depression and the 1930s shift in taste to modernism in architecture and interior decoration. Modernists favored abstract textiles that emphasized structure and texture over surface design and were more likely to be inspired by architecture than art. Both the look and philosophy of modernist American textiles were strongly influenced by the European designer-craftsmen—Anni Albers, Trude Guermonprez, Marianne Strengell, and others—who came to the U.S. fleeing persecution or looking for opportunity, and who ended up working as heads of their own studios, consultants to industry, and/or teachers in a host of craft-based programs in colleges and universities. Along with American counterparts such as designer-weaver Dorothy Wright Liebes, they inculcated a generation of Americans in the belief that crafts such as weaving were of particular value in service to industrial production, and that good design sprang from craftsmanship and experimentation with materials and technique. By the early 1960s, the model of the designer-craftsman in service to industry had begun to give way to the model of the artist-craftsman making unique, often processoriented works as art. In textiles, now known as fiber art, artists began to concentrate on off-loom and other non-traditional techniques. California, Adams’s adopted home, which offered academic craft programs at a number of college campuses statewide, an active community of resident artist-craftsmen, and ample opportunities for exhibition, was particularly fertile ground for fiber. Adams, however, was not an artist-craftsman; his professional associates were other Bay Area figurative painters and printmakers such as Wayne Thiebaud, Gordon Cook, and Adams’s wife, Beth Van Hoesen; and he seems largely to have worked apart from the contemporary American fiber mainstream. He had acquired basic training in tapestry weaving at the Ecole National d’Art Decoratif in Aubusson in 1955 but plainly from the desire to better understand how tapestry weaving affected design, and not in the expectation of weaving his own work. In his view, “…the time it takes to excel in weaving is time 22

lost in growth as an artist/designer,” a position that separated him from most others working in contemporary textiles in the U.S. and may have deprived him of some of the critical attention his tapestries should otherwise have commanded. He participated in few designer-craftsman group shows, mainly in the 1960s, but he is missing from most of the books written about contemporary American art textiles from the 1970s on. He did show at the two Tapestry Biennales in Lausanne over which Lurçat presided, entering Great Wing, a big, beautiful detail view of a befeathered wing in glowing colors inspired by the Cloisters tapestries and the medieval Apocalypse tapestry series in Angers, in 1962 and Flight of Angels, a more abstract treatment of the wing theme, in 1965. His 1967 Biennale entry was not accepted and there is no record of Adams applying again. Perhaps he felt out of step with the Biennale’s direction: as time passed the festival increasingly favored the artist-made, abstract, experimental pieces that were coming to dominate the American and influential Eastern European fiber scenes. Adams’s paramount interest in tapestry was design and he believed that great design resulted not from weaving but from drawing. Adams drew regularly, likening it to the discipline of practicing scales on the piano. Drawing, he felt, was one of the most fundamental forms of human communication; staying proficient let him access and develop his wellspring of ideas, connect deeply with his subject, reach out to his audience, and offered him the possibility of creating not just good works of art but great ones. Adams practiced designing cartoons as well; one exercise, called “Ten Tapestries in Ten Days,” involved starting and finishing one four-foot by five-foot design cartoon daily for ten days and on the eleventh day assessing the results and choosing which, if any, to continue to develop for eventual weaving. Artist-weaver Constance Hunt, who tried the exercise after Adams recommended it, found it “very intense”; it challenged and stretched her, enabling her to dig deeper conceptually than before. While Adams did not articulate this as the point of the exercise, presumably he found it of similar benefit. For Adams, a successful tapestry was one that worked with, not against, its two-dimensional, mural nature and which simultaneously communicated visually and connected emotionally with the viewer. Tapestry lends itself to grandeur but Adams’s subjects are modern and often familiar, drawn from the world around him and rendered without borders; a vase of petunias or a glass of water on a table, a bunch of grapes, or, more exotically, a lotus flower seen on vacation in Sumatra or a Hawaiian sunset. His religious imagery is also simplified, perhaps in pursuit of the emotional directness he admired in medieval tapestries and that he wished to capture. His fondness for portraying subjects in close-up may have been another way of connecting emotionally with the viewer; the scale of the imagery is larger-than-life but its effect is intimate. Adams believed tapestry needed firmly delineated shapes, line, and pattern that could combine to produce a sense of shallow depth and textural richness; many of his tapestries feature layers of 23

pattern but he resolutely steered them away from the delicate shading and shadowing he used to render similar subjects in paint. Most important perhaps is color: he had the ability to translate paint colors into wool and deftly used hachures to modulate between adjacent hues. Following Lurçat’s dictum of limiting the palette, he used only about fifty shades, but they easily sufficed to evoke place, atmosphere, mood, and time of day. Mature works such as the important Garden triptych (1981 – 1983) commissioned by the San Francisco Airport Commission and recently returned to public view at the San Francisco International Airport, show him at the height of his powers: Pond in Golden Gate Park, the first of the three panels, features a stand of white iris before a carpet of small pink and red flowers. Dark trees behind, silhouetted against a fading pink and yellow sunset, signal that night is falling, but the trees’ reflection in the pond and the hachures mediating between treetops and sky give the impression of a few rays of light still glinting through the branches. The scene’s surface is busy and multilayered, but the effect is both visually exciting and invitingly still. The assurance of Adams’s later tapestries is due both to his mastery of all these design elements and his involvement in their execution. Until the late 1970s, his tapestries were woven in Aubusson, usually by Paul Avignon, whom he had met in 1955. Adams seems to have shared Lurçat’s conviction that only the artist should make aesthetic decisions about a tapestry but in practical terms the distance between Aubusson and San Francisco made it impossible for him to direct Avignon’s aesthetic choices or explore alternatives. Describing the process, he commented wryly, “I would just send it [the design cartoon] over there in a tube and they would send the tapestry back in a tube.” He was understandably delighted when a local option developed through a demonstration weaving staged in 1976 as part of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco’s exhibition Five Centuries of Tapestry. Nine volunteers, many of them students at San Francisco State University, under the direction of third-generation tapestry weaver Jean-Pierre Larochette, wove a small Adams tapestry using yarn supplied by Avignon. The project ultimately spawned the San Francisco Tapestry Workshop (SFTW), founded by Larochette and three of the demonstration weavers—Phoebe McAfee, Ernestine Bianchi, and Ruth Tannenbaum (Scheuer). The SFTW began operations as a professional tapestry atelier and school in October 1977. With the sole exception of the twenty-four-foot In Celebration of Cabeza de Vaca, too large for the San Francisco looms, Adams never again had a tapestry woven in France. From the outset, the SFTW took a different aesthetic approach to executing Adams’s designs. Larochette recommended to Adams a “…more design-oriented sequence of hatchings…” and a slightly broader palette for more nuanced, less starkly modern results. Instead of custom-dyeing the yarn as Avignon did, the SFTW blended commercially dyed yarns of different but similar tones—a process known as mélange—until the desired shade was achieved. Adams retained the final say on how he wanted each tapestry to 24

look—he approved all color samples and weaver Rudi Richardson noted that if Adams was not happy with a portion of the weaving they would redo it—but being able to see a tapestry in progress and discuss it with the weavers must have added enormously to his understanding of what was possible. He could also adjust the design cartoon while the tapestry was being made if he chose. At the SFTW, Adams worked most often with McAfee and Richardson, and solely with them after they struck out on their own in 1981. Experience settled the three into an easy, collaborative working relationship; Adams was happy to have their input and confident in their ability to realize his designs to his satisfaction. After a fifteen-year boom, the early 1990s saw a period of decline in tapestry—indeed, in contemporary fiber in general—likely sparked by an economic recession as well as changes in fashion. Adams’s tapestry commissions dried up and he did not care to have additional uncommissioned pieces woven; although he continued to create design cartoons, his last new tapestry, Lilith, came off the loom in 1991, nearly fifteen years before his death. Adams, hewing to his own, idiosyncratic path, mastered his medium in a way few of his contemporaries could match and in so doing developed a truly modern, American style for this most traditional of European textile forms. Melissa Leventon former cur ator of textiles, fine arts museums of san fr ancisco, c alifornia, and principal of cur atrix

Catalogue Raisonné Notes

Documentation Documentation for this catalogue raisonné has come from a variety of sources: • The artist’s Master Tapestry Log. • Records provided by the tapestry weavers. • Loan forms and lists from museum exhibitions and collections. • Publications with information on the tapestries, such as Adams’s monographs, exhibition catalogues, and brochures. • Photographs of Adams working on particular tapestries. • Label information from slides, transparencies, and photographs of tapestries. • Information provided by Adams’s weavers through conversations and correspondence. • Direct observation of the tapestries.

Numbering of Entrie s The numbering of tapestry listings is chronological, and alphabetical within each year. Although there may be exceptions, the artist’s Master Tapestry Log usually dates a tapestry when the design cartoon has been completed and given to the weavers to execute.

Title s The titles are those given by the artist in his Master Tapestry Log and are listed in italics.

opposite: 24. Self-Portrait, 1992

Date s The date for a tapestry is based on: • The artist’s Master Tapestry Log. • Dates on the tapestries. • Exhibition records and publications. • Dates listed on labels of photographs and transparencies.

Media / We aving Technique Adams’s first tapestry, Queen of Heaven, is technically speaking not a tapestry, but a large panel of wool embroidery on a rayon backing, which Adams executed himself. After Adams’s apprenticeship with Jean Lurçat in 1955, Adams’s tapestries were woven on low warp, or horizontal looms common to the Aubusson area of France. The tapestries are woven with wool weft on cotton warp.

Dimensions Dimensions are listed in inches followed by centimeters; height precedes width. In many instances, the tapestries are irregular shapes due to the weaving process. In these cases, the largest dimensions are listed.

We aver / Work shop Information Information regarding the weaver and/or workshop for each tapestry comes from a variety of sources: • The artist’s Master Tapestry Log, records, and notes. • Weavers’ marks on the tapestries. • Cloth labels sewn on the back of the tapestries listing information regarding the weavers/workshop. • Interviews and correspondence with weavers. • Publications. 25. Cloth label sewn on the back of Adams’s tapestry Tulips, 1982

Edition Size The edition size and number of proofs are listed as recorded in the artist’s Master Tapestry Log. In some instances, a square will be woven that indicates the size of the edition and the edition number of the tapestry.

Artist ’s Insignia Adams’s signature or initials, and date, if included, are recorded as they appear on the tapestries.

We aver s’ and Work shop Insignia The weavers’ and workshop insignia are recorded as they appear on the tapestries. In some instances, cloth labels are sewn on the back of the tapestries listing additional information regarding the name of the workshop and/or weavers.

26. Woven border on back of Adams’s tapestry Tulips, 1982, to indicate edition number one of six

Note s Additional information regarding a specific tapestry, such as the subject or location, exhibitions, and publications are included in this category. In cases where there are discrepancies or variations in titles, dates, or other information, these discrepancies and variations are listed under this category.

Alphabetic al Inde x of Tape stry Title s This index lists the titles alphabetically with the Catalogue Raisonné numbers for easy reference.

Tape stry Technique s and Definitions An alphabetical listing of tapestry techniques and definitions has been provided for the reader.

Artists, Weavers, and Workshops

St. Céré Jean Lurçat (1892 – 1966) was one of the great names of the renaissance of tapestry design. Lurçat stressed the importance of value contrast of colors rather than subtle gradations and shadings. Lurçat also promoted the aesthetic of using the coarser weave associated with Gothic tapestries, and incorporating these essential weaving characteristics in contemporary tapestry design. In 1955, Mark Adams applied for an apprenticeship with Lurçat, and he joined four other apprentices to live on the farm dominated by St. Laurent’s tower in St. Céré, France. The apprentices’ workday was divided into two parts. The first part of the day was spent working on Lurçat’s own designs and design cartoons. The second part of the day was spent working on their own designs, which were then discussed and criticized by Lurçat.

Aubusson After completing his apprenticeship with Lurçat, Adams moved to Aubusson, which was known for the large numbers of weavers and tapestry ateliers located in the area, as well as Ecole des Arts Décoratifs d’Aubusson, where he enrolled in classes to continue his work on tapestry design and weaving. In Aubusson, Adams also became acquainted with many of the weavers who lived in and around the area. In particular, he and his wife, Beth Van Hoesen, became close friends with Paul and Marguerite Avignon.

opposite: 27. Beth Van Hoesen (1926 – 2010) Chateau de Saint-Laurent, 1955 above: 28. Beth Van Hoesen (1926 – 2010) Houses in Saint-Céré, France, 1955

Mark with Suitcase

above left: 29. Photographer Unknown, 1955 Jean Lurçat, Chàteau de Saint-Laurent, Saint-Céré, France above right: 30. Beth Van Hoesen, 1955 Mark Adams arriving in Saint-Céré to begin his apprenticeship with Jean Lurçat opposite: 31. Beth Van Hoesen (1926 – 2010) Drawing of Mark Adams working on cartoon for Jean Lurçat’s tapestry Phoenix, 1955

left: 32. Photographer Unknown, c.1960 Paul Avignon working at his loom, Aubusson right: 33. Photographer Unknown, c.1960 Marguerite Avignon (Mme. Paul Avignon) working at her loom, Aubusson

M. and Mme. Paul Avignon

Portalegre, Portugal

Paul Avignon also studied at the Ecole des Arts Décoratifs d’Aubusson prior to opening

A small number of Adams’s tapestries were executed by the prestigious workshop

his atelier. He and his wife, Marguerite, had established reputations in the region as highly

Manufactura de Tapecarias de Portalegre in Portugal in the 1960s and 1970s.

respected weavers. Their friendship with Adams evolved into a business relationship and the Avignons were responsible for translating many of Adams’s design cartoons into

San Fr ancisco Tape stry Work shop

tapestries, and were the primary weavers of Adams’s tapestry from the late 1950s until

The non-profit San Francisco Tapestry Workshop was organized in the late 1970s and

their retirement in 1980.

began producing tapestries for artists in 1976. The San Francisco Tapestry Workshop was co-founded by Jean-Pierre Larochette, Phoebe McAfee, Ernestine Bianchi, and Ruth

Anna de Quatrebarbe s and

Tannenbaum (Scheuer). Many of Adams’s tapestries from 1976 to 1983 were woven by

Atelier L agarde-de Quatrebar abe s

Jean-Pierre Larochette and members of the workshop.

Another French weaver who lived in Aubusson was Anna de Quatrebarbes, who was introduced to Adams during his stay in France. While she lived in Aubusson, de Quatrebarbes wove nine of Adams’s tapestry designs. She later married and moved to Vallauris, France, and established her weaving studio, Atelier Lagarde-de Quatrebarbes. During the period 1968 to 1980, the Atelier executed six tapestry designs for Adams including the large-scale tapestry In Celebration of Cabeza de Vaca.

Pinton Frere s Pinton Freres is a master weaver associated with Anna de Quatrebarbes and her Atelier Lagarde-de Quatrebarbes in Vallauris, France. Adams was commissioned in 1980 to design a large-scale tapestry (24 × 24 feet) for the Fairmont Hotel in Dallas, Texas. Pinton Freres was the primary weaver who executed Adams’s design for the tapestry In Celebration of Cabeza de Vaca. The insignias of both Pinton Freres and Atelier Lagarde-de Quatrebarbes appear in the tapestry, along with the insignia of the artist.

above: 34. Victor Budnik, 1979 Ruth Tannenbaum (Scheuer) weaving, San Francisco Tapestry Workshop below: 35. Photographer Unknown, 2009 Jean-Pierre Larochette at his loom

left: 36. Photographer Unknown, c.1960 Mark Adams preparing cartoon design for tapestry right: 37. Photographer Unknown, 1981 Mark Adams showing his design for tapestry Pond in Golden Gate Park

Artist’s, Workshops’, and Weavers’ Insignia Reproduced are the artist’s insignia and the insignia of individual weavers that are woven into the tapestries to identify the artist and the weaver(s). The size, color, design, and location of the insignia may change depending upon the scale, design, and color of the tapestry.

Mark Adams

opposite: 38. Pink Pool (detail), 1958 (cat. no. 015)

M. and Mme. Paul Avignon, Aubusson, France

Anna de Quatrebarbes, Aubusson, France

Atelier La Garde-Quatrebarbes, Vallauris, France

Pinton Freres, Tapisserie d’Aubussen Pinton, Felletin, France

Atelier La Garde-Quatrebarbes, Vallauris, France

Goubely-Gatien, Aubusson, France

San Francisco State University Graduate Students, San Francisco, California

Manufactura de Tapecarias de Portalegre, Portalegre, Portugal

San Francisco Tapestry Workshop, California

Phoebe McAfee and Rudi Richardson, San Francisco, California

Phoebe McAfee, San Francisco, California

Rudi Richardson, San Francisco, California

above: 39. Photographer Unknown, 1952 In progress, Adams’s embroidered tapestry Queen of Heaven below: 40. Photographer Unknown, 1952 In progress, Adams’s embroidered tapestry Queen of Heaven

Catalogue Raisonné of Tapestries 1952 001

Queen of Heaven 1952 media: Wool embroidery on rayon net foundation dimensions: 106 × 78 in. (269.2 × 198.1 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): Not applicable weaver ’ s insignia: Not applicable artist ’ s insignia: Left edge, center, “M” notes: This is Adams’s first tapestry effort. Technically, it is not weaving, but wool embroidery on black rayon backing. Designed and executed by Adams, the embroidery features Mary robed and crowned, with the stars, sun, and moon floating around her. The iconography is traditional, but Adams’s interpretation reflects a more modern design using cutouts and collage. The embroidery was exhibited at the M. H. de Young Memorial Museum in 1952. Unfortunately, the fabric backing provided inadequate support for the heavy wool, and it failed to hang properly. This embroidery is in the collection of Mark Adams papers and artwork (M1747), Department of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, California.

1954 002

Summer Window 1954 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 43 × 28 in. (109 × 71 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): Leon Andraud weaver ’ s insignia: No marks artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “M” notes: The design for Summer Window was created while Adams was working as an apprentice for Jean Lurçat in Saint-Céré, France. The design cartoon for this tapestry is one of the two designs that were approved by Lurçat to be woven into tapestries. This tapestry is in the collection of Mark Adams papers and artwork (M1747), Department of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, California.

1955 003

Burning Bush 1955 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 48 × 36 in. (121.9 × 91.4 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower right, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower left, “Mark Adams” notes: The design for Burning Bush was created while Adams was working as an apprentice for Jean Lurçat in Saint-Céré, France. The design cartoon for this tapestry is one of the two designs that were approved by Jean Lurçat to be woven into tapestries. This tapestry is the first tapestry of Adams’s to be woven by M. and Mme. Paul Avignon in Saint-Céré, France.

004

Little Canticle 1955 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 30 × 60 in. (76.2 × 152.4 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): Anna de Quatrebarbes weaver ’ s insignia: Lower right, striped shield artist ’ s insignia: Lower center, “Mark Adams” notes: The word canticle means a song or chant, usually a non-metrical hymn with words taken directly from a Biblical text. Adams uses shapes that are reminiscent of the Moorish tile work he saw on his travels to Spain and North Africa. He uses the placement of these shapes against a dark red background to create a visual rhythm of forms. He also uses the contrasting colors and patterns of the individual shapes to visually reference the changes of mood and rhythms of a variety of songs or chants. This tapestry is in the collection of Mark Adams papers and artwork (M1747), Department of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, California.

005

Night Banner 1955 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 39 × 63 in. (99.1 × 160 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): Goubely-Gatien weaver ’ s insignia: Lower right, “GG” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “Mark Adams” notes: Adams’s design references heraldic devices that were used historically by families to represent their social status, history, and social alliances, as well as banners that were taken into battle to distinguish the warriors and their affiliations. The use of banners is still present today and evolved into modern day flags and pennants to identify countries and military groups. This tapestry is in the collection of the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles.

006

Unicorn 1955 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 96 × 120 in. (243.8 × 304.8 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower right, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “MA” notes: Unicorn is one of the largest of Adams’s tapestries woven by M. and Mme. Avignon. Adams’s design references a well-known tapestry, The Captured Unicorn, one of seven tapestries known as The Unicorn Tapestries from the late Middle Ages (1495 – 1505) in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Adams’s design differs from the original in that his unicorn is shown in a threedimensional interior setting, in front of two arched windows that add depth to his composition rather than the medieval mille fleur tapestry with its flattened, flowering plants and outdoor setting. Adams has added flowering plants to reference the medieval mille fleur tapestry tradition, but the simplicity of Adams’s design and unusual color combinations place his tapestry squarely in the modernist tradition.

1956 007

Beach House 1956 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 48 × 60 in. (121.9 × 152.4 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower right, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “MA” notes: The design of this tapestry is unusual because of Adams’s division of the composition into two sections, each a different view of the ocean. On the right, Adams presents the interior of the beach house with its informal setting to show the view of the ocean through its window. On the left, the view of the ocean is seen from the beach with its sand, seashells, ocean, azure sky, and flying sea birds.

008

White Bird 1956 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 42 × 72 in. (106.7 × 182.9 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower left, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower left, “MA” notes: Adams’s design for this tapestry incorporates several religious references from the Bible. He references the Old Testament story of God’s creation of the sun, moon and stars; the separation of the waters to create the earth; and the creation of plant forms. Other symbols related to the title of the tapestry, White Bird, reference the white bird used to signify purity, and innocence; the use of a white bird, or dove, as God’s messenger of peace; and the use of the dove that Noah released to determine the receding of the flood waters, and thus the decision by God to not destroy the earth by flood. All of these elements are present and enrich our appreciation of Adams’s tapestry.

1957 009

Archangel 1957 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 72 × 48 in. (182.9 × 121.9 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): Anna de Quartrebarbes weaver ’ s insignia: Unknown artist ’ s insignia: Unknown notes: There are no known photographs of the finished Archangel tapestry. The tapestry is known from images of Adams’s design cartoons and the listing in the artist’s Master Tapestry Log, which indicates that Anna de Quatrebarbes was the weaver of this tapestry.

010

Birds and Oranges 1957 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 42 × 72 in. (106.7 × 182.9 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower left, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower left, “MA” notes: Adams’s design for Birds and Oranges is of particular interest because of his use of an unusual perspective in his composition. Instead of the orange trees being viewed as vertical elements in his design, Adams created an overhead view that seems to place the viewer under the canopy of tree branches looking up. He has used simplified, dark oval shapes for the tree branches in contrast to the realistically depicted round, orange shapes of the fruit, each with shaded green leaves. Against the dark ovals of the branches are the simple, white shapes of the birds flying under the branches, both of which are shown against a pink background to create a sense of depth.

011

Macrocosmos 1957 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 18 × 72 in. (45.7 × 182.9 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower right, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “MA” notes: This tapestry includes elements that reference the architecture of a Moorish arched arcade. The wall of the arcade is white and within each arched space Adams has shown different aspects of the cosmos. From left to right are symbols for the universe, the Trinity, angels, stars, and fire that in sequence depict the evolution of the cosmos.

012

Mosque 1957 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 48 × 63 in. (121.9 × 160 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower right, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “MA” notes: Adams again is referencing a Moorish architectural setting. His design uses the device of an arched arcade and the view of a mosque and adjoining buildings that can be seen through the arches. Adams has also included in his design the patterns and colors often seen in Moorish tile work.

013

Phoenix and the Golden Gate 1957 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 96 × 132 in. (243.8 × 335.3 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower center, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower center, “Mark Adams” notes: Adams submitted this tapestry design for a competition sponsored by the San Francisco Art Commission’s Tenth Annual Art Festival. He won the competition and was awarded the commission to execute this design for the Marina Branch Public Library. On the left, Adams’s design features one of the two towers of the Golden Gate Bridge against a nighttime sky with stars and full moon. In the center of the tapestry is a phoenix bursting into flames within a radiating sphere, referencing the re-building and re-birth of the City of San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake and fire.

1958 014

Cherubim 1958 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 63 × 48 in. (160 × 121.9 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower left, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower left, “MA” notes: In this composition, dark curved lines suggesting the shapes of wings radiate from a light yellow sphere in the center of the tapestry. Surrounding this sphere are concentric rings of darker yellows that blend into a golden background that is used to contrast the dark lines of wings and to create a sense of depth. In addition to the bold, dark lines that divide the tapestry into sections, there are numerous small, dark curvilinear shapes of abstracted feathers to create the impression of wings in the flurry of flight.

015

Pink Pool 1958 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 36 × 63 in. (91.4 × 160 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Right edge, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Right edge, “MA” notes: Adams has used color to divide this tapestry into two separate areas. The lighter pinks of the pool are contrasted with oranges and reds to indicate the ground with its abstracted plant shapes. These contrasting colors are also used to create a sense of depth in the composition with the lighter color of the pool in the right foreground with the darker red in the upper portion of the tapestry. On the surface of the pool are a variety of floating leaves, as well as slightly darker pink shapes used to convey the reflection of light on the surface of the water. In the upper right, several light- and dark-colored branches overhang the pool. A small group of fish is shown swimming along the bottom toward the lower right corner of the tapestry.

016

Primeval Garden 1958 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 42 × 72 in. (106.7 × 182.9 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower right, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “MA” notes: Adams’s design uses color to divide the tapestry into three distinct spaces and to represent the evolution of the origins of life. The upper part of the tapestry shows a dark sky and stars. The lower right of the tapestry shows the ocean in several shades of blue with a variety of primitive plant forms. The lower left area of the tapestry shows a white beach with several abstracted life forms. Between the ocean and the beach is a transitional area showing a life form emerging from the sea onto the white sand of a beach.

017

Queen of Heaven 1958 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 108 × 72 in. (274.3 × 182.9 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Left edge, center, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Left edge, center, “MA” notes: Adams’s original design for this tapestry was executed in 1952 as an embroidered tapestry (Cat. No. 001). The design was rewoven by M. and Mme. Paul Avignon in 1958. The woven tapestry is in the collection of the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts.

018

Seraphim 1958 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 48 × 63 in. (121.9 × 160 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower center, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower center, “MA” notes: The title of this tapestry refers to celestial beings with three pairs of wings and belonging to one of the nine orders of angels. Adams has divided the tapestry into three sections to create a sense of depth with the upper section in a light cream, a dividing band of pink, and the foreground in orange. Abstracted feathers are shown in several different ways. The orange foreground has numerous almond shapes in slightly darker oranges. There are several patterned areas on the right that have a variety of curvilinear lines and shapes in whites, yellows, and light oranges that are also used to indicate feathers and wing shapes. Adams uses the abstracted forms to convey the other-worldliness of his celestial beings.

019

Tahoe 1958 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 132 × 36 in. (335.3 × 91.4 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower left, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower left, “MA” notes: Adams uses color to divide the tapestry into a series of areas to reflect different aspects of Lake Tahoe. The lightness of the palette is used to convey the feeling of a bright summer day on the lake. There is the light blue area for the sky covered with stars, the medium blue for the lake that is patterned to indicate ripples of the water, and a darker blue shape to indicate land with various plant forms. Overlapping these areas are abstracted shapes of pine branches in various shades of green with a variety of yellow butterflies. White triangular shapes on the left and right areas of the tapestry are references to the sailboats on the lake.

1958 020

Eclipse of the Moon c.1958 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 48 × 66 in. (121.9 × 167.6 cm) edition: Unknown weaver(s): Unknown weaver ’ s insignia: Not applicable artist ’ s insignia: Lower left, “M” notes: An image of this tapestry exists in the artist’s photographic records. However, no information or reference to this tapestry exists in the artist’s Master Tapestry Log. Because of the artist’s insignia “M” in the lower left corner of the tapestry, it is assumed that this tapestry was woven even though no insignia of a weaver appears on the tapestry. The design of the tapestry shares a similarity with earlier tapestries done in 1958, specifically Primeval Garden (Cat. No. 016).

1959 021

Aeons 1959 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 63 × 48 in. (160 × 121.9 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower right, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “MA” notes: The oval shapes in the design reference the early formation of cells to convey the period when life forms were beginning to emerge. There are four ovals placed against a background of blended of reds. The bottom half of the tapestry is woven in dark red and blends to a lighter orange-red at the upper part of the tapestry. In the lower half of the tapestry are two ovals: the dominant oval has a dark red center surrounded by a lighter ring of red; and to the right of the large oval is a small white oval. Above these two shapes are two other ovals: in the upper right, an oval with a light-red center is surrounded by a dark-red ring; in the upper left is an oval that is divided into multi-colored sections of white, yellow, pink, and blue showing the beginnings of cell division. This tapestry is in the collection of the Oakland Museum of California.

022

Fireflies 1959 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 24 × 96 in. (61 × 243.8 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower right, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “MA” notes: Adams’s design has effectively captured the glow of fireflies that are associated with warm summer nights in many parts of the United States. The orange and yellow lights of the fireflies are juxtaposed with three white trefoil shapes against a dark background of a nighttime sky.

023

Guinea Birds 1959 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 42 × 78 in. (106.7 × 198.1 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): Anna de Quatrebarbes weaver ’ s insignia: Lower right, striped shield artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “MA” notes: The design of this tapestry references many elements associated with African textile design. The colors are simplified, with a rich yellow for the background, and an abstracted repetitive pattern of plants in various shades of browns and blacks. The black, simplified bird shapes can be identified as guinea fowl by their white spots. Although the bird shapes are simplified and each bird is identically colored in black with white spots, Adams has conveyed the alertness and individuality of each bird, with two birds’ heads held up, alert to their surroundings or potential danger; two birds focused only on eating; and one bird, indifferent to the others with its back turned.

024

Ninth 1959 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 35 × 105 in. (88.9 × 266.7 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): Anna de Quatrebarbes weaver ’ s insignia: Lower left, striped shield artist ’ s insignia: Lower left, “MA”

notes: Adams’s design for this tapestry is an homage to Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and is a visual expression of Adams’s emotional response to the beauty and hope of the music. The upper part of the tapestry has numerous stars shown against a dark background that are juxtaposed with the sunrise and sunset depicted by two rounded shapes in the foreground that intersect in the center of the tapestry with each having a bright-orange segment. Both shapes are woven in various shades of reds: a dark red that blends to red, red-orange, and ending in the center with the lightest pink. In the circular shape on the left the colors go from dark to light. The circular shape on the right goes from light to dark. This tapestry is in the collection of the Racine Art Museum.

025

Pavilion 1959 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 42 × 78 in. (106.7 × 198.1 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower right, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “MA” notes: In this tapestry, Adams uses draped window curtains tied in knots to frame the ocean views seen through the windows. The visual repetition of the white draped curtains and the white birds flying seen from each window serves as a unifying element in the tapestry, and contrasts the variety of ocean scenes viewed through the windows.

026

Quartet 1959 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 35 × 105 in. (88.9 × 266.7 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower right, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “MA” notes: This tapestry is made up of four different colored sections. The four sections are unified by a background pattern of various colored dots that move horizontally across each section. Over this background are four colored spheres, three located in each section, with a fourth sphere that is divided between the second and third sections. The contrasting dots and spheres in the tapestry’s design are used to create the illusion of depth and movement in the tapestry.

027

Rabbits 1959 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 63 × 78 in. (160 × 198.1 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: In center of tapestry, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: In center of tapestry, “MA” notes: In Adams’s design for this tapestry, space is to be understood through the hierarchy of the elements similar to the visual organization used in medieval tapestries. The objects at the top of the tapestry are to be understood as being the greatest distance from the viewer. The objects at the bottom of the tapestry are to be read as being the closest to the viewer. However, there are two different elements in Adams’s design that are not related to the medieval tapestry traditions: one is Adams’s addition of the yellow rectangle at the bottom left and the blue square on the right used to anchor two of the rabbits in space; the other is his placing the light grey-blue rectangle in the center of the tapestry with one of the rabbits placed below. In this instance, Adams is using value relationships between the rabbit and the rectangle to create a sense of distance between the white rabbit and the receding, blue-grey of the rectangle.

028

Resurrection 1959 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 114 × 74 in. (289.6 × 188 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower right, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “MA” notes: Several elements in this tapestry are used by Adams in his design to create two oppositional meanings simultaneously. The tapestry is divided into three parts in reference to the three aspects of the Biblical God known as the Trinity: God the father, God the son, and God the Holy Ghost. The central figure in white with raised arms serves as the dividing element between the three sections and is used to reference both the crucifixion and the resurrection of Christ. In the upper section above the head and raised arms is a blue field with white lilies often associated with Easter and the resurrection. The white figure with its upraised arms separates the two lower sections: the lower section on the left has an orange background and the lower right section has a yellow background. Both of these colored areas have the same patterning of flowers in the three-petal shape known as trefoil that are often used as religious symbols of God’s trinity. This tapestry is in the collection of the All Saints’ Episcopal Parish in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California.

029

Waterlilies 1959 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 36 × 72 in. (91.4 × 182.9 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower right, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “MA” notes: Adams’s design for this tapestry is a meditation on light and shadow. Lily pads floating on the surface of a pond in the waning light of twilight are a foil used by Adams to explore several different aspects of light and shadow and the way colors are changed: the reflection of light on the water lily pads floating on the surface of the pond transforms the green of the pads into dark and coppery shapes that float on the blues and lavenders of the pond to reflect the patterning effects of light and shadow as a breeze blows across the water’s surface.

1960 030

Canticle 1960 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 54 × 54 in. (137.2 × 137.2 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower right, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “MA” notes: In this tapestry, Adams references one of his earlier designs, Little Canticle, 1955 (Cat. No. 004). Adams uses a more muted color palette of light oranges and yellows for this tapestry instead of the bright red background, contrasting colors, and pattern elements he used in the earlier tapestry. As with his earlier tapestry, Adams’s design recalls the shapes and patterns of Moorish tiles he saw during his trips to Spain and North Africa.

031

Catherine Wheel 1960 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 54 × 54 in. (137.2 × 137.2 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower right, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “MA” notes: The title of this tapestry refers to a spiked wheel that was an instrument of torture and associated with St. Catherine of Alexandria, whose prayers were miraculously answered by the destruction of the wheel. St. Catherine’s wheel is traditionally depicted as a pinwheel and Adams’s design reflects the moment of the wheel’s destruction with sparks, light, and fire.

032

Fire Fountain 1960 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 60 × 72 in. (152.4 × 182.9 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower left, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower left, “MA” notes: Adams’s design has captured the light display seen in one of the more common fireworks used during U.S. Fourth of July celebrations. On the left half of the tapestry, the light display is shown against the background of a night sky. On the right, the background of the sky is illuminated with the light of the fireworks and is shown as blue in contrast to the dark sky on the left.

033

Fireworks 1960 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 84 × 84 in. (213.4 × 213.4 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower right, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “MA” notes: This tapestry is related to the Fire Fountain tapestry (Cat. No. 032), and is another design that focuses on the display pattern from the light and sparks of a fireworks display against the dark sky.

034

Sea Lions 1960 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 54 × 36 in. (137.2 × 91.4 cm) edition: One, plus one Artist’s Proof weaver(s): Anna de Quatrebarbes weaver ’ s insignia: Lower left, striped shield artist ’ s insignia: Lower left, “MA” notes: Adams’s design is both simple and complex at the same time. He has created numerous groupings of sea lions in silhouette in an overall pattern for the tapestry. However, in these groupings, Adams shows each sea lion in an individual pose so that it stands out within the group.

035

Wild Bird 1960 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 54 × 36 in. (137.2 × 91.4 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower center, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower center, “MA” notes: Adams has divided the tapestry into different sections that he uses to contrast light against dark, plain shapes with patterned shapes, and flattened two-dimensional shapes with three-dimensional shapes to heighten the impression of space. In the center of his tapestry, Adams has placed his wild bird with its unusual colors and combinations of contrasting patterns suggesting feathers and wings against a light-colored background so that his multi-colored bird seems to be weightless and flying through space.

036

Wing 1960 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 48 × 63 in. (121.9 × 160 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Left edge, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Left edge, “MA” notes: This is one of the first tapestries designed by Adams to use a single wing with its curved shape and patterned feathers as its subject. In this tapestry, the wing is depicted with only the simplest of feather forms and is positioned diagonally across the tapestry. The wing seems gigantic in relation to the tapestry borders. By contrasting shadow and light, Adams’s wing conveys a sense of movement and power.

1961 037

Black Birds 1961 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: Unknown edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia Right edge, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Right edge, “MA” notes: Adams’s tapestry is a departure from his more traditional designs. The abstracted forms of the birds are contrasted with the simplified shape of the white blouse with its patterned design against a background of various shades and blends of yellows. The insignia of the artist and weavers are included as part of the blouse’s patterned design.

038

Conservatory 1961 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 54 × 36 in. (137.2 × 91.4 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): Anna de Quatrebarbes weaver ’ s insignia: Lower left, striped shield artist ’ s insignia: Lower left, “MA” notes: In this design Adams is using two competing views. The foreground is a mass of cyclamen plants arranged in a pyramid shape that is perpendicular to a background of horizontal rows of cyclamen plants. The two triangles of yellow on each side of the tapestry are clues to the shift in perspective in contrast to the bright orange at the top.

039

Great Wing 1961 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 108 × 126 in. (274.3 × 320 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower right, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “Mark Adams” notes: The design of the wing is placed diagonally across the tapestry. This placement is shared with the earlier tapestry, Wing, 1960 (Cat. No. 036). Yet the shape and position of this wing, beginning at the lower left of the tapestry and moving towards the upper right, convey a more dynamic sense of flight. The wing’s rows of feathers in this tapestry are contrasted by patterns and bands of colors. There are at least five different contrasting feather patterns that use spots of color, curvilinear shapes, rigid branching lines, and bold bands of color. Even in the non-patterned areas of color, Adams has used light and dark shading to continue the illusion of feathers along the shape of the wing.

040

Iris 1961 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 48 × 63 in. (121.9 × 160 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): Anna de Quatrebarbes weaver ’ s insignia: Lower left, striped shield artist ’ s insignia: Lower left, “MA” notes: No known image of this tapestry exists. There is only an image of the design cartoon. The information regarding this tapestry is from the artist’s Master Tapestry Log. Adams’s design shows an iris bed underneath a flowering tree. The abstract patterning of the iris leaves is contrasted with a more realistic depiction of the iris blooms.

041

Joseph’s Coat 1961 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 60 × 69 in. (152.4 × 175.3 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower right, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “MA” notes: The subject of this tapestry references “Joseph’s Coat of Many Colors” described in the Old Testament. Adams’s design brings this wondrous garment to life through its contrasting bands of colors, patterns, and weaving techniques.

042

Lemon Tree 1961 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 54 × 36 in. (137.2 × 91.4 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): Anna de Quatrebarbes weaver ’ s insignia: Lower left, striped shield artist ’ s insignia: Lower left, “MA” notes: No known image of this tapestry exists. There is only an image of the design cartoon. The information regarding this tapestry is from the artist’s Master Tapestry Log. Adams’s design shows a lemon tree with one yellow lemon on the left, another oddly colored lemon towards the center partially obscured by leaves, and one bright lemon towards the lower right. The lemon tree in the design cartoon is placed against a bright blue background.

043

Little Orange Tree 1961 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: Unknown edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower right, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “MA” notes: Adams’s design for this tapestry shows four trees in various colors, trimmed in similar rounded shapes. The smallest of the four trees placed in the center of the composition is an orange tree with brightly colored oranges shown among darker leaves. The background of the tapestry is a clear, medium-blue that silhouettes the rounded shapes of the trees. This tapestry was a gift to the artist’s mother.

044

Potted Plants 1961 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 42 × 60 in. (106.7 × 152.4 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): Anna de Quatrebarbes weaver ’ s insignia: Left edge, striped shield artist ’ s insignia: Left edge, “MA”

notes: Adams’s design for this tapestry features muted, multi-colored flowering plants growing in dark pots placed randomly against an orange background. In each pot, the lush plants have rounded leaves that are distinguished from one another by different shades of green.

045

Sea Rocks 1961 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 52 × 70 in. (132.1 × 177.8 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower left, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower left, “MA”

notes: No known image of this tapestry exists. There is only an image of the design cartoon. The information regarding this tapestry is from the artist’s Master Tapestry Log. Adams’s design shows a turbulent sea, strongly patterned with dark blue curvilinear shapes and spirals, which swirl around the patterned rocks.

1962 046

Daisies 1962 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: Unknown edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower left, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower left, “MA”

notes: Adams’s design for this tapestry references the gold-leafed background of Japanese screens with a carpet of different colored daisies shown against spheres of different shades of orange, red-browns, and black. In addition, Adams has contrasted the dominant orange colors of the spheres with touches of pinks and small bright red dots.

Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

Stage 4

Stage 5

Stage 6

Design progressions for Flight of Angels, Stages 1 through 6

Stage 7

Stage 8

Stage 9

Stage 10

Stage 11

Stage 12

Design progressions for Flight of Angels, Stages 7 through 12

Preliminary design cartoon for Flight of Angels, 1962, Acrylic on paper, 120 × 144 in. (304.8 × 365.8 cm)

047

Flight of Angels 1962 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 120 × 144 in. (304.8 × 365.8 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower left, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower left, “Mark Adams”

notes: Adams’s design shows nine celestial beings in flight. He has contrasted two different wing designs in this composition: one is the more recognizable wing shape with shaded patterns of feathers, and the other is a more brightly colored and abstracted wing shape that twists and turns. The design cartoon for this tapestry is in the collection of Mark Adams papers and artwork (M1747), Department of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, California.

048

Flowering Plants 1962 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: Unknown edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower right, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “MA”

notes: Adams’s design for this tapestry shares similarities in both subject and composition with Potted Plants, 1961 (Cat. No. 044). Both tapestry designs have as their subject a variety of colored flowering plants in pots placed against a colored background. However, in this tapestry, the colors of the flowers and background are vibrant and create more contrast between the brightly colored flowers and the yellow-gold background.

049

Nasturtiums 1962 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 33 × 51 in. (83.8 × 129.5 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower right, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “MA”

notes: Both Adams and his wife, Beth Van Hoesen, created several drawings and prints using nasturtiums as a subject. They were both attracted to the overall patterning of the leaves and the way the plants cascaded over bordering rocks. In Adams’s design for this tapestry, he has placed the nasturtium plants in the upper half of the tapestry, with close-valued leaves in grey-greens and yellow flowers, outlined with touches of orange flowing over abstracted rocks in the shadows against a dark background. In the mid-section of the tapestry, the plants flow over dark-colored patterned rocks that change to lighter shades with an overall light patterning towards the lower half of the tapestry. The rocks are shown against an orange background. One of the more interesting aspects of this tapestry is Adams’s treatment of the rocks as abstracted, patterned shapes in contrast to the more natural treatment of the nasturtium plants.

050

Ruby 1962 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 42 × 54 in. (106.7 × 137.2 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): Anna de Quatrebarbes weaver ’ s insignia: Upper left, striped shield artist ’ s insignia: Upper left, “MA” notes: The subject of this tapestry design is a large faceted ruby shown against a darker red background. Adams has focused on the jewel’s intersecting cut lines, and the way the light is reflected off the ruby’s faceted planes.

051

Saxifrage [Saxofrassia] 1962 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 34 × 52 in. (86.4 × 132.1 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower right, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “MA” notes: Adams focuses on a repetition of shapes and patterns against an orange background that changes from various shades of orange to red-orange to darker shades of red-orange. The color of the background shifts from a bright orange on the left, to shades of red-orange in the center, to a dark, rusty red towards the right. The leaves of the saxifrage are woven in a light brown, with the shadowed areas of the leaves in darker browns. Among the brown leaf patterns are darker stems with pink and white flowers. In the lower right is a pattern of small leaf shapes woven in various shades of dark, medium, and light green. The patterning and color of the leaves in shadow reference a similar attention in the tapestry Nasturtiums, 1962 (Cat. No. 049).

052

Spring Snow 1962 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 54 × 35 in. (137.2 × 88.9 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower right, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Right edge, “MA” notes: The tapestry is divided by different colored sections: the upper part of the tapestry is bright yellow and is separated from the large orange center section by a narrow white strip. In the center of the tapestry Adams has placed an azalea bush with dark green leaves and branches and an abundance of white blossoms and buds that are tipped in lighter shades of green. It is difficult to distinguish the white blossoms and buds of the azalea bush from the white dusting of snow. Around the base of the azalea bush is a patterned area with different plants partially covered in snow and shown against a dark backgrounds.

053

White Iris 1962 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 48 × 63 in. (121.9 × 160 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower right, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “MA” notes: Adams’s design for this tapestry includes one of his favorite flowered subjects: irises. In this tapestry, a large array of white iris buds with stalks and leaves is displayed against a blue background. Each bud is wrapped in a light grey-green sheath. The base of each bud is grey, shaded to a lighter grey, then to a yellow ending with white tips. The lush foliage of the iris is in dark greens shaded to medium and light green. Although Adams has produced numerous drawings and watercolors of irises, there is one watercolor in particular that was completed in 1962 that because of the similarity in the composition could be considered as a preparatory work for this tapestry.

1963 054

Aegis 1963 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 38 × 56 in. (96.5 × 142.2 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower left, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower left, “MA” notes: In Greek mythology, Aegis is the name of the shield that Zeus gave to his daughter Athena. In Adams’s design, the large rounded shape of the shield dominates the tapestry against a vibrant red background. The patterning on the shield is shaded from dark to light to create a sense of volume and threedimensionality. The patterning Adams has used on the shield is similar to the patterning he has used in the design for some of his wing tapestries.

055

Jade Tree 1963 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 54 × 36 in. (137.2 × 91.4 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): Manufactura de Tapecarias de Portalegre weaver ’ s insignia: Lower center, “MdT” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “MA” notes: Adams’s design is executed in monochrome greys, charcoals, and black against a light background. The absence of color in this tapestry is a surprise given Adams’s love of color.

056

Messenger 1963 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 52 × 39 in. (132.1 × 99.1 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower right, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “MA” notes: This is one of several of Adams’s designs using celestial beings, flight, or wings as a subject. In this tapestry, a faceless, winged figure in mid-flight seems to move towards the viewer. The body of the figure is placed diagonally, lower left to upper right, with the head located almost in the center. This diagonal composition creates the sense of movement of a winged figure in mid-flight. The light cream color used to depict the figure’s garment also serves to move the figure forward from a vibrant, red-orange background, while the darker, shaded areas of the wings recede into a darker background of red to further convey this sense of forward movement.

057

Red Sky 1963 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 36 × 58 in. (91.4 × 147.3 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower left, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower left, “MA” notes: Adams has evoked a specific time of day in this tapestry design: he has chosen to show a setting sun that has colored the sky an unusual reddish-pink. Against this sky, he has placed a horizontal arrangement of plants. The cues to the setting sun can be seen in the colors of the plants’ foliage with the darker colors of the leaves and plant stems at the bottom of the tapestry, and the lighter browns where the slanting rays of the sun just touch the tops of the plant leaves with hints of yellow.

1965 058

Profusion 1965 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 88 × 72 in. (223.5 × 182.9 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower right, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “MA” notes: Adams’s design for this tapestry can be seen in two ways, either as an abstract mille fleur tapestry, or as an homage to the pointillist paintings of Seurat and his followers. Through the use of vibrant colors and shadings, Adams has animated the surface of the tapestry to convey a movement and texture that is often found in abstract paintings.

1966 059

Douglas Fir 1966 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 54 × 56 in. (137.2 × 142.2 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower right, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “MA” notes: Adams was commissioned to create this tapestry by the Weyerhauser Company. Adams’s design contrasts a large section of tree trunk that dominates the center of the tapestry to extend beyond the upper and lower edges of the tapestry with the diminutive forest of trees shown growing on the mountain landscape in the background. By only showing a section of the trunk, Adams’s design leaves the vast bulk of the tree to be imagined above and below the tapestry’s borders.

060

Geraniums 1966 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: Unknown edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower right, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “MA” notes: No known image of this tapestry exists. There is only an image of one of the design cartoons. The information in this listing is from the artist’s Master Tapestry Log. Adams’s design cartoon for this tapestry references two earlier variations of this subject, Potted Plants (Cat. No. 044) and Flowering Plants (Cat. No. 048). However, in this tapestry, the multi-colored flowering plants are seen from the perspective of the viewer looking down on the plants. This perspective heightens the flatness of the plants that are seen against a golden-yellow background suggestive of Japanese screens as in his design of Daisies (Cat. No. 046).

061

Lights 1966 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: Unknown edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower right, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “MA” notes: Adams’s design features a nighttime sky that is scattered with brightly colored stars and vibrant galaxies. The two galaxies are seen as red abstracted shapes placed diagonally in the composition. The glow of the stars is conveyed through Adams’s use of concentric circles of different colors—some with blended shades and others with contrasting colors. Some of the stars have bright yellow or light-colored centers. To create a sense of depth, some of the stars are seen as small dots of solid colors, while the stars that are closer have the concentric rings of color that seem to vibrate with energy. This tapestry was commissioned by Security Pacific Bank.

Preliminary design cartoon for Magnolia Tree, 1966, Acrylic on paper, 90 × 82 in. (228.6 × 208.3 cm)

062

Magnolia Tree 1966 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 90 × 82 in. (228.6 × 208.3 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower right, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “Mark Adams”

notes: Adams’s design for this tapestry is of particular interest because of his unusual color choices that reference the wild color combinations favored by the German Expressionists. In the tapestry’s foreground, Adams uses reds, oranges, and browns for the leaves of the irises; in the shadow underneath the magnolia tree in the central part of the tapestry, the dark, almost black, foliage of the irises seems indistinguishable and blends into the dark background. The trunk of the tree and branches on the left of the tree are in rusty oranges with touches of red, and against the dark background on either side of the magnolia tree there are two bright orange circular shapes. In addition to the color combinations that energize the tapestry, Adams uses color contrasts to create the illusion of depth in the tapestry. This is seen in his coloring of the irises and magnolia blossoms. The irises in the foreground are shades of white, and then change to partially white and lavender, then lavender, then partially lavender and blue, and then blue. The irises towards the outer edges of the tapestry on both the right and left are slightly darker shades than those in the center of the tapestry. The colors of the magnolia blossoms change from white with touches of pink in the lower branches of the tree, to a very light pink where the blossoms are placed higher in the tree, to darker pinks and reds towards the top of the tapestry. Like the irises, the magnolia blossoms on the outer edges of the tapestry are slightly darker than the blossoms in the center. In this tapestry, Adams wants the viewer to see the magnolia tree and the irises growing underneath as realistic, three-dimensional objects in space, and he uses the light and dark contrasts of colors to create this effect.

063

Snapdragons 1966 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 66 × 72 in. (167.6 × 182.9 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower right, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “Mark Adams”

notes: Adams’s design is a simplified and abstracted composition that uses a color palette of reds and blues to achieve a number of different blends and shades. The decorated vase is a blend of blue-reds and purples. The flower-filled vase is shown against a red background that is actually several different shades of red, and changes from a medium blue-red at the bottom of the tapestry to a dark-red that is almost an orange-red on the left and a dark, blue-red on the right. Adams has also placed ovals of color in the background that change from shades of blue-reds to dark blues in relation to the changing color of the background. On the right of the tapestry, Adams has introduced blocks of color to give the illusion of space that places the vase of flowers clearly in the foreground. Behind the right side of the vase is a dark blue rectangle that is perpendicular to a light-orange horizontal rectangle. These shapes work together to create the illusion of depth between the front of the vase and the light-orange band. This band of orange on the right also serves as a divider that aids the transition from the lower orangered section to the upper blue-red section. Another transition element appears at the top of the tapestry, moving diagonally from the center to the upper right: a dark blue shape that appears as a wide brush stroke and separates the upper right, blue-red area from the orangered area on the left. At the same time, this dark blue shape becomes the shadow cast by the flower-filled vase.

064

St. John the Baptist 1966 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 230½ × 71 in. (585.5 × 180.3 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower center, “PA” artist ’ s insignia : Lower center, “Mark Adams” notes: Adams’s design for this tapestry shows St. John the Baptist standing in water with his right arm raised and his left arm down with an open palm gesturing towards the water. St. John the Baptist wears a simple, belted fur-like garment in various shades of brown, and he stands against a bright orange background. Adams has used the tapestry’s narrow proportions to make the figure of St. John the Baptist the central focus of the tapestry. This tapestry was commissioned by St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Napa, California.

1968 065

Cabbage Roses 1968 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 66 × 78 in. (167.6 × 198.1 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower center, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower center, “Mark Adams”

notes: Adams’s design for this tapestry is an oversized but realistic interpretation of four roses clustered in the middle of the tapestry. The design is based on a related watercolor by Adams, Jar of Roses, 1968. However, only four of the roses shown in the watercolor were used in the composition of this tapestry.

Jar of Roses, c.1968, Oil paint on paper, 26 × 23 in. (66 × 58.4 cm)

066

Man Flying 1968 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 138 × 304 in. (350.5 × 772.2 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower left, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower left, “Mark Adams”

notes: This tapestry is one of several tapestries Adams has created with flight or wings as the subject. Adams’s design is a specific reference to the Greek myth of Icarus. In this tapestry Adams focuses on the consequence of Icarus’ hubris: the wax that fastened his wings is melting from the heat of the sun, causing his wings to fall off, and one of the wings is on fire. The left side of the tapestry shows Icarus and the falling wings against the orange background of the sun. On the right is the dark sky with a blue and red patterning of stars. The Bank of California commissioned this tapestry for its corporate headquarters.

067

Map

no known image

1968 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: c.48 × 108 in. (c.121.9 × 274.3 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Unknown artist ’ s insignia: Unknown notes: There are no known photographs of this tapestry. The information regarding this tapestry is from the artist’s Master Tapestry Log, which indicates that M. and Mme. Paul Avignon were the weavers. The tapestry was commissioned by the Bank of California.

068

Ranunculas 1968 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 80 × 71 in. (203.2 × 180.3 cm) edition: Four, plus one Artist’s Proof weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower left, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower left, “Mark Adams” notes: The composition of this design is similar to Cabbage Roses (Cat. No. 065). Adams has used a large-scale format with the flowers dominating more than two-thirds of the tapestry’s area. The petals are a virtuoso performance of delicate shading to indicate the shadows and volume of the flowers. The leaves and stems are shown in the lower left of the tapestry. The background of the tapestry is shaded with a subtle pink that begins in the upper left corner, and, as it moves diagonally across the background, changes to a creamy white.

069

Rose 1968 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 94 × 152 in. (238.8 × 386.1 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower right, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “Mark Adams”

notes: Adams’s design for the rose in this tapestry is much more simplified and abstracted than the subject of flowers seen in previous tapestries. In this tapestry, Adams has focused on the simple shapes and folds of the petals so that the petals of the rose become abstracted color shapes against a red background. The shadow behind the rose petals is dark blue, almost black, and serves to anchor the rose to its background and to give the illusion of volume. This tapestry is in the collection of the Santa Rosa Public Library, California.

070

Rose Buds 1968 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 71 × 69 in. (180.3 × 175.3 cm) edition: Declared edition of four, only two were woven weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower left, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower left/lower center, “Mark Adams”

notes: In stark contrast with Rose (Cat. No. 069), the rose buds in this design are rendered realistically with delicate color shadings of the petals. The same is true of the stems and leaves of the rose buds. The background of the tapestry is shaded top to bottom with a darker blend of oranges beginning on the left, and as the eye moves to the right, shifting to an almost golden yellow. This background color gives a sense of depth and space to the composition. This tapestry was commissioned by Security Pacific Bank.

071 no known image

Three Continents I 1968 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: c.48 × 108 in. (c.121.9 × 274.3 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Unknown artist ’ s insignia: Unknown notes: There are no known photographs of this tapestry. The information regarding this tapestry is from the artist’s Master Tapestry Log, which indicates that M. and Mme. Paul Avignon were the weavers. This tapestry was commissioned by the Bank of California.

072 no known image

Three Continents II 1968 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: c.48 × 108 in. (c.121.9 × 274.3 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Unknown artist ’ s insignia: Unknown notes: There are no known photographs of this tapestry. The information regarding this tapestry is from the artist’s Master Tapestry Log, which indicates that M. and Mme. Paul Avignon were the weavers. This tapestry was commissioned by the Bank of California.

073

White Geraniums 1968 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 61 × 73 in. (154.9 × 185.4 cm) edition: Four weaver(s): Atelier La Garde-de Quatrebarbes, Vallauris weaver ’ s insignia: Lower left, “AQ” artist ’ s insignia: Lower left, “Mark Adams”

notes: In this tapestry, the delicate shadings on each of the petals and the subtle shadings of grey-green on the plants’ stems are further emphasized by the contrast with the dark background, which conveys a sense of timelessness and fragility of the blossoms and stems. Tapestry number four of an edition of four is in the collection of the Oakland Museum of California.

1969 074

Round Ruby 1969 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: Unknown edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): Atelier La Garde-de Quatrebarbes, Vallauris weaver ’ s insignia: Lower left, “AQ” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “Mark Adams” notes: Adams’s design for this tapestry is a darker and more complex version of Ruby, 1962 (Cat. No. 050). The ruby in this tapestry is shown with more lines and facets that are shaded in a variety of blended reds and shown against a very dark red background. Adams has used the technique of contrasting lighter shades with darker shades to create the illusion of volume and three-dimensionality that projects the roundness and vibrancy of the ruby. Both of the ruby tapestries were woven at the Atelier La Garde-de Quatrebarbes in Vallauris, France.

075

Scallops 1969 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 69 × 76 in. (175.3 × 193 cm) edition: Declared edition of four, only two were woven weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Near lower center, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Near lower center, “Mark Adams” notes: In this design, Adams uses several brightly colored spheres and ovals against a white background. A dark colored sphere is used to anchor the colored spheres and ovals in the lower center of the tapestry. Adams re-interpreted this design in the mid-1980s and it became the basis for a large-scale mosaic wall that was commissioned for the MacArthur Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station in Oakland, California. In 2003, circumstances necessitated the removal of the mosaic and Adams had to re-create the design into two related paintings for different walls of the BART station.

above: Scallops, 1968, Mosaic, dimensions unknown center: Preliminary drawing for BART Mural, 2002, Acrylic on paper below: Architectural plan for BART Commission, 2002

Preliminary design cartoon for Seraphim II, 1969, Acrylic on paper, dimensions unknown

076

Seraphim II 1969 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: Unknown edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower right, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “Mark Adams” notes: Adams’s design for this tapestry is a simplified version that references an earlier tapestry, Seraphim, 1958 (Cat. No. 018).

077

White Grapes 1969 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 69 × 58 in. (175.3 × 147.3 cm) edition: Four, plus one Artist’s Proof weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower right, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “Mark Adams” notes: Adams’s use of the dark background serves as the contrast for the bunch of white grapes that is suspended in space. In the design of the grapes, Adams moves from darker shading on the left to lighter shading in the center and to the lightest shading on the right to create a sense of volume and three-dimensionality. This effect is further heightened by the darker shadows that are depicted behind the individual grapes.

1970 078

Apocalypse Clouds 1970 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 57 × 52 in. (144.8 × 132 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): Manufactura de Tapecarias de Portalegre weaver ’ s insignia: Lower right, “MdT” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “Mark Adams” notes: The composition of this tapestry is separated into three sections. The upper section clearly depicts the blue sky with different colored stars. The center section shows a band of undulating shapes in varying shades of grey and lavender that represents billowing clouds. The bottom section shows two architectural shapes against a bright orange-red background. This tapestry is in the collection of Mark Adams papers and artwork (M1747), Department of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, California.

079

Blocks 1970 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 58 × 58 in. (147.3 × 147.3 cm) edition: Four, plus one Artist’s Proof weaver(s): Atelier La Garde-de Quatrebarbes, Vallauris weaver ’ s insignia: Lower left, “AQ” artist ’ s insignia: Lower left, “Mark Adams” notes: This is one of several watercolors, tapestries, and design cartoons that Adams has created using block shapes. In his design for this tapestry, Adams uses a large number of colors to convey the effects of light and shadow on a grouping of blocks.

080

Coat of Many Colors 1970 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 72 × 75 in. (182.9 × 190.5 cm) edition: Declared edition of four, only two were woven weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower right, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “Mark Adams” notes: The design for this tapestry is similar to an earlier tapestry, Joseph’s Coat, 1961 (Cat. No. 041). There are no known photographs of this tapestry. There is a black and white image of the design cartoon, showing the location of the weaver’s insignia and Adams’s signature, which would appear on the right of the woven tapestry.

1971 081

Vine 1971 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 72 × 72 in. (182.9 × 182.9 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower left, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower left, “Mark Adams” notes: In his design of a grape vine, Adams has selected autumnal shades for the colors of the vine’s leaves in yellows, oranges, reds, and browns. Several bunches of grapes are hanging from the vines and shown in various shades of dark purples. The support structure for the grape vine intersects the tapestry horizontally and vertically, and is shown in white with blue and lavender shadows. The grape vine and support structure are shown against a pale pink background in the lower part of the tapestry that shifts as it moves towards the upper part of the tapestry to darker pinks, fuchsias, and mauves, and from the upper left in a dark red which changes to mauve as it moves to the right.

082

Waterfall 1971 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 90 × 96 in. (228.6 × 243.8 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower left, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower left, “Mark Adams” notes: In his commentary, Paul Mills noted that an important element in Adams’s design is his depiction of the stones in the foreground of the tapestry: “…beneath its surface can be seen an array of rounded stones, some of which protrude above the surface. Not only has Adams depicted the roundness of the stones, but he has also suggested the wetness of the stones beneath the water and their brighter dryness where they lie above the water’s surface. The difference in the appearance of wet and dry stone is a nuance that could reasonably be attempted in watercolor, with its capacity for suggesting subtle differences in shade. To make this distinction in tapestry, however, is a remarkable achievement.”

083

Weyerhauser Tapestry 1971 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 84 × 420 in. (203.2 × 1066.8 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver’s insignia: Lower right, “PA” artist’s insignia: Lower right, “Mark Adams”

100

notes: This tapestry is one of Adams’s largest commissioned works. In his abstract design, Adams created a sense of movement in space with contrasting light and dark, large and small, rounded, self-contained shapes with abstract forms. Overall, the tapestry is an abstract work with high-energy blasts of color. This tapestry was commissioned by the Weyerhauser Company for its headquarters near Tacoma, Washington.

1972 084

Blumlein Tapestry 1972 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions Unknown edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower left, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower left, “Mark Adams” notes: There are no known photographs of this tapestry. There is an image of a preliminary design cartoon, showing the location of the weaver’s insignia and Adams’s signature. The other information regarding this tapestry is from the artist’s Master Tapestry Log, which indicates that M. and Mme. Paul Avignon were the weavers.

085

Dahlia 1972 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 48 × 72 in. (121.9 × 182.9 cm) edition: Four weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower right, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “Mark Adams” notes: There are no known photographs of this tapestry. There is an image of Adams’s final design cartoon, showing the location of the weaver’s insignia and Adams’s signature, which would appear on the right of the woven tapestry. The other information regarding this tapestry is from the artist’s Master Tapestry Log, which indicates that M. and Mme. Paul Avignon were the weavers.

101

086 Poppies 1972 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 56 × 42 in. (142.2 × 106.7 cm) edition: Four weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia Lower right, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “Mark Adams” notes: Adams has created numerous drawings, watercolors, and a few tapestries with flowers in jars. His design for this tapestry is exceptional and captures the delicate texture and folds of each poppy’s petals through complex color shadings. For this composition, Adams has arranged four poppies and two fat poppy buds in a glass jar that dominates the space. The stark simplicity of the thin yellow-green stems contrasts with the heavy blooms of the poppies and Adams’s placement of the poppies against the dark background, which increases the drama of the composition. This tapestry is in the collection of the Racine Art Museum.

1975 087 Fog 1975 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 84 × 96 in. (213.4 × 243.8 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower right, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “Mark Adams” notes: Adams’s design for this tapestry references elements found in two earlier tapestries. The fog in the upper half of the tapestry is reminiscent of his design for the clouds in Apocalypse Clouds (Cat. No. 078). The lower half of the tapestry uses the pointillist dots of color to create a sense of movement similar to his design for the 1965 tapestry Profusion (Cat. No. 058).

102

088 Shell 1975 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 96 × 90 in. (243.8 × 228.6 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower right, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “Mark Adams” notes: The shell form in the upper half of the tapestry references the spiral shell of the nautilus. The lower half of the tapestry is an artistic interpretation of an egg with its top cut off to reveal the layered yolk contained inside. The shells are set against a brown background activated with an overall pattern of dots.

1976 089 Cabbage Leaves 1976 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 55 × 60 in. (139.7 × 152.4 cm) edition: Declared edition of six, only two were woven; plus one Artist’s Proof weaver(s): Atelier La Garde-de Quatrebarbes, Vallauris weaver ’ s insignia: Lower left, “AQ” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “Mark Adams” notes: Adams’s design for this tapestry shows ten cabbage leaves that are abstracted shapes of blue and green sculptural forms against a beige background with a border of red on all four sides. For a bit of whimsy Adams has included a caterpillar on the cabbage leaf shown on the lower left of the tapestry and a cabbage leaf with holes left by the caterpillar shown in the center of the tapestry. Tapestry number two in an edition of six is in the collection of the Oakland Museum of California.

103

California Poppies, 1981, Etching and aquatint on paper, 14¾ × 15⅜ in. (37.5 × 39.1 cm)

104

090 California Poppies 1976 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 55 × 60 in. (139.7 × 152.4 cm) edition: Two weaver(s): San Francisco State University Graduate Students weaver ’ s insignia Lower left, Blue Spider mark artist ’ s insignia: Lower left, “Mark Adams 1976” notes: In this design Adams has placed two orange California poppies tied together with stalks of foxtail, or spear grass. The poppies and foxtail dominate the composition of the tapestry. Adams’s design was executed by several students as part of the weaving program at San Francisco State University under the direction of third-generation tapestry weaver Jean-Pierre Larochette during the exhibition Five Centuries of Tapestry at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. Tapestry number one of an edition of two is in the collection of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.

105

091

Cup with Lemon Leaves 1976 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 45 × 36 in. (114.3 × 91.4 cm) edition: Declared edition of six, only two were woven; plus one Artist’s Proof weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower center, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower center, “© Mark Adams 1976” notes: Adams has created a still life of related and non-related objects arranged on a table. In a patterned, handled cup he has placed a flowering branch of a lemon tree. Next to the cup is a lemon nestled in the folds of a beige and white striped towel. The black, square tabletop is outlined with a brown decorative edge to distinguish the surface of the tabletop from the dark background. The cup with its lemon branch is placed in the center of the tapestry with the foliage and lemon blossoms extending from the cup to hang over the single, brightly colored lemon and kitchen towel in the lower right of the tapestry. Adams has used this composition to draw attention to the patterning of the shadows and the way the shadows and light create a relationship between the objects on the table.

106

092

Nancy’s Wings 1976 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 88 × 37 in. each (223.5 × 94 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Left panel, lower left, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Left panel, lower left, “MA”; right panel, lower right, “Mark Adams” notes: This tapestry is unusual because it is Adams’s only diptych, with the design beginning on one panel and continuing on the other. Adams’s design references an aesthetic similar to compositions used in Japanese hanging scrolls. He has placed two overlapping wings that dominate the lower half of each panel, while the upper half is without decoration. Adams contrasts the overlapping wings with the patterning of their feathers against a simple light background. The darker wing, with beige feathers shaded to dark brown, is placed in front of the lighter wing, with white feathers shaded to light grey. The same patterning and shading for the feathers of both wings is used to distinguish the feathers from one another as well as to create a sense of movement of the wings in flight. This treatment of the feathers has been used in several of Adams’s earlier wing designs. The touch of red on the light-colored wing in the right panel can be seen to indicate some kind of injury, with the positioning of the darker wing so that it seems to be supporting the injured wing of its mate.

093

Narcissus 1976 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 42 × 72 in. (106.7 × 182.9 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower left, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “Mark Adams” notes: The overall pattern of Adams’s design is a larger than life rendering of a detail from a mille fleur tapestry. The narcissus blooms in Adams’s design demand attention and definitely share the “what about me” attitude of a true narcissist. There are dark ovals of pinks and reds that appear randomly in the background, as well as small decorative patterns used to give the composition depth and to distinguish the flowers from the background.

107

094

Nasturtiums II 1976 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 49 × 42 in. (124.5 × 106.7 cm) edition: Two Artist’s Proofs weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower right, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “© Mark Adams 1976” notes: As in several earlier designs, in this tapestry Adams places a large-scale gathering of brightly colored blossoms in a vase or jar in the center of the tapestry. The nasturtium flowers, shown in oranges, reds, and yellows, are dramatically arranged in a slender white cylinder shown against a dark background. The shading of the blossoms renders their petals and stamens with realistic accuracy, in contrast to the large-scale format of the tapestry. The dark background of the tapestry is contained within a small-bordered edge of beige that serves to bring a sense of depth to the composition. This tapestry was purchased by the Federal Reserve Bank, San Francisco, California.

095

Persimmons 1976 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 53 × 43 in. (134.6 × 109.2 cm) edition: Declared edition of six, only two were woven; plus two Artist’s Proofs weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower right, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower left, “Mark Adams” notes: This simplified grouping of three persimmons centered in the tapestry against a dark background is a favorite composition of Adams’s. The three persimmons are shown on a reflective surface, and their reflected images echo the shapes and colors in slightly distended and darker versions. This duality has been used repeatedly in Adams’s watercolors, and in particular, a 1975 painting with the same title that Adams created with a grouping of persimmons with their reflections.

108

096

Rose Peony 1976 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 46 × 36 in. (116.8 × 91.4 cm) edition: Declared edition of six, only one was woven; plus one Artist’s Proof weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower left, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower left, “© Mark Adams 1976” notes: Adams’s use of blended colors and shading clearly captures the delicacy of the peony’s petals. The large blossom is shown with its shaded grey-green leaves growing on small brown and green stems placed in a jar of water. The stems in the water allow Adams to display the visual displacement of the vertical stems as seen in and above the water line. Adams also uses the water to demonstrate the reflection of light on the surface contrasted with the darker water below. In addition, Adams uses the reflection on the left side of the jar to heighten the three-dimensionality of the jar as well as to anchor the jar with its flower in space.

097

Stone Garden 1976 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 45 × 52 in. (114.3 × 132.1 cm) edition: Declared edition of six, only one was woven; plus one Artist’s Proof weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower right, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “© Mark Adams 1976” notes: There are no known photographs of this tapestry. There is an image of Adams’s preliminary design cartoon, showing the location of the weaver’s insignia and Adams’s signature. The other information regarding this tapestry is from the artist’s Master Tapestry Log. The abstracted patterning of shape and color against a dark blue background in this tapestry is almost surrealistic in its composition of seemingly unrelated objects in a combination of differing scales, organic and geometric shapes, and colorful, unique patterning which creates an ever-changing display of enigmatic elements.

109

098

Two Poppies 1976 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: Unknown edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): Atelier La Garde-de Quatrebarbes, Vallauris weaver ’ s insignia: Lower center, “AQ” artist ’ s insignia: Lower center, “Mark Adams” notes: There are no known photographs of this tapestry. There is an image of Adams’s preliminary design cartoon, showing the location of the weaver’s insignia and Adams’s signature, which would appear in the lower center of the woven tapestry. The other information regarding this tapestry is from the artist’s Master Tapestry Log. Adams’s design for this tapestry is an abstracted version of the 1976 tapestry California Poppies (Cat. No. 090). However, in this tapestry the background is divided into upper and lower areas, with the lower area divided into four rectangular shapes. A rectangle of brown is shown in the lower left, with a dark charcoal next, then a forest green rectangle with a narrow band of dark brown to its right, and ending with a rectangle of red-orange on the lower right. There is an overall patterning of the foxtails or spear grass. The orange poppies are shown in the upper section of the tapestry and their two green-grey stems are tied with a billowing white ribbon. Adams has made numerous drawings, watercolors, and prints using poppies as a subject.

099

White Block 1976 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 52 × 44 in. (132.1 × 111.8 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): Jean-Pierre Larouchette, San Francisco Tapestry Workshop weaver ’ s insignia: Lower right, “SF” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “Mark Adams 1976” notes: Adams’s design for this tapestry displays a very simple white block against a highly patterned background of a Kilim carpet. The Kilim, with its light and dark shadings of color and pattern distortions, suggests that the textile has been draped over a flat surface in the foreground and in the background is raised against a vertical support. This sectioning can also be confirmed in the way the artist has distorted the pattern of the Kilim. Adams also uses the shadowing of the white cube to enhance the perspective of an object in space.

110

Preliminary design cartoon for White Block, 1976, Acrylic on paper, 52 × 44 in. (132.1 × 111.8 cm)

111

Preliminary design cartoon for White Magnolia Tree, 1976, Acrylic on paper, 62 × 68 in. (157.5 × 172.7 cm)

112

100

White Magnolia Tree 1976 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 62 × 68 in. (157.5 × 172.7 cm) edition: Declared edition of six, only one was woven; plus one Artist’s Proof weaver(s): Atelier La Garde-de Quatrebarbes, Vallauris weaver ’ s insignia: Lower left, “AQ” artist ’ s insignia: Lower left, “Mark Adams 1976”

notes: The translation of Adams’s design cartoons to the completed tapestry is a process that requires flexibility and adjustments. Subtleties in coloration and shadings that are easily achieved through paint are not the same when transferred to the woven tapestry. The myriad colors of paint that can be blended to achieve the perfect contrast and shadowing are limited to the existing colors of yarn that can be blended. This difference can be readily seen in looking at the design cartoon for White Magnolia Tree and the completed tapestry. The soft pinkish-whites of the magnolia blossoms in the design cartoon have become cream blossoms in the tapestry; the softer grey-greens have become a more pronounced light green. The magnolia buds shown in a soft mauve have become buds with red and pink tips. The soft grey-beiges become more tan. Adams’s overall design with its distinct patterning of blossoms against a dark background that silhouettes each flower and branch has not been lost in the translation from design cartoon to tapestry— it is not better or less good—just different. 113

101

White Peony 1976 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 45 × 37 in. (114.3 × 94 cm) edition: Declared edition of six, only one was woven; plus one Artist’s Proof weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower left, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower left, “© Mark Adams 1976” notes: There are no known photographs of this tapestry. There is an image of Adams’s preliminary design cartoon, showing the location of the weaver’s insignia and Adams’s signature, which would appear on the lower left of the woven tapestry. The other information regarding this tapestry is from the artist’s Master Tapestry Log.

102

Winter Pears 1976 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 45 × 36 in. (114.3 × 91.4 cm) edition: Declared edition of six, only two were woven; plus one Artist’s Proof weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower right, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “© Mark Adams 1976” notes: Adam’s design contrasts the reflected light and shadowing on the pears with their reflection. The patterning design that is repeated in the background of the tapestry is also seen slightly darker and is the mirror image of its counterpart in the upper portion of the tapestry. Tapestry number two of an edition of six was purchased by Security Pacific Bank.

114

1977 103

Imari Cup 1977 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 36 × 40 in. (91.4 × 101.6 cm) edition: Two Artist’s Proofs weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Left edge, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower left, “© Mark Adams 1977”

notes: Adams has contrasted the abstract patterning of flowers that appears on the Japanese porcelain Imari cup with the small bunch of freshly picked flowers displayed in the cup. In keeping with the Japanese theme, Adams has referenced the red-orange color often used in Japanese lacquer as the background color for this tapestry.

115

Preliminary design cartoon for Waterlilies and Fish, 1977, Acrylic on paper, 88 × 90 in. (223.5 × 228.6 cm)

116

104

Waterlilies and Fish 1977 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 88 × 90 in. (223.5 × 228.6 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): M. and Mme. Paul Avignon weaver ’ s insignia: Lower right, “PA” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “© Mark Adams 1977”

notes: Adams has revisited the subject of water lilies in this tapestry design. His first was a design for a 1959 tapestry Waterlilies (Cat. No. 029). In this version, the overall feeling is lighter and the composition is more open. A few of the water lilies are blooming and a small frog is sitting on one of the lily pads. The shading of the background is darker in the lower level and lightens to a blue in the mid-section with a much lighter blue at the upper section of the tapestry. The treatment of the background is very similar to some of the scenes depicted in Japanese woodcuts that were popular in the early 1900s. Only a preliminary design cartoon exists for this tapestry, and it is quite different from the final design of the tapestry, which has been simplified to focus on the lily pads with a few blooms, the swimming koi in the foreground, and the gradation of the pond’s colors.

117

Final design cartoon for White Petunias, 1978, Acrylic on paper, 52 × 40 in. (132.1 × 101.6 cm)

118

1978 105

White Petunias 1978 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 52 × 40 in. (132.1 × 101.6 cm) edition: Declared edition of four, only three were woven weaver(s): San Francisco Tapestry Workshop weaver ’ s insignia: Lower left, “SF” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “Mark Adams 1978” notes: Adams’s design shows a dark blue bowl filled with a lush bouquet of white petunias dominating the center of the tapestry, and even seeming to spill out beyond the borders on each side of the tapestry. The bowl and flowers are shown against a bright red background with two vertical stripes of blue along the left and right edges. In describing this tapestry, Paul Mills observed “…Adams’s ability to achieve subtleties of modeling in the petunias rivals the skills of any tapestry master. The hints of pink and the whisper of blue serve only to articulate the ruffled bouquet of flowers that creates and occupies a threedimensional space more aggressively than one can imagine possible in so delicate a subject.” Tapestry number three of an edition of four and the final design cartoon are in the collection of the Racine Art Museum.

119

Final design cartoon for Firecliff, Kauai (Hawaiian Sunset No. 3), 1979, Acrylic on paper, 54 × 63 in. (137.2 × 160 cm)

120

1979 106

Firecliff, Kauai (Hawaiian Sunset No. 3) 1979 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 54 × 63 in. (137.2 × 160 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): San Francisco Tapestry Workshop weaver ’ s insignia: Lower right, “SF” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “© Mark Adams 1979”

notes: This is the third tapestry in the series that Adams designed to capture the myriad colors of Hawaiian sunsets. Adams, and his wife, Beth Van Hoesen, were in Hawaii on numerous occasions and watching the colorful drama of the sun sinking into the Pacific Ocean was one of their favorite activities of the day. The other two tapestries in the series are Haena Point (Hawaiian Sunset No. 1) (Cat. No. 107) and Sunset with Palms (Hawaiian Sunset No. 2) (Cat. No. 109).

121

Preliminary design cartoon for Haena Point (Hawaiian Sunset No. 1), 1979, Acrylic on paper, 63 × 67 in. (160 × 170.2 cm)

122

107

Haena Point (Hawaiian Sunset No. 1) 1979 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 63 × 67 in. (160 × 170.2 cm) edition: Declared edition of four, only two were woven weaver(s): San Francisco Tapestry Workshop weaver ’ s insignia: Lower left, “SF” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “© Mark Adams 1979”

notes: This is the first tapestry in the series that Adams designed to capture the myriad colors of Hawaiian sunsets. Adams and his wife, Beth Van Hoesen, were in Hawaii on numerous occasions, and watching the colorful drama of the sun sinking into the Pacific Ocean was one of their favorite activities of the day. The other two tapestries in the series are Sunset with Palms (Hawaiian Sunset No. 2) (Cat. No. 109), and Firecliff, Kauai (Hawaiian Sunset No. 3) (Cat. No. 106). Tapestry number one of an edition of four and the final design cartoon are in the collection of Mark Adams papers and artwork (M1747), Department of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, California.

123

Final design cartoon for Irises, 1979, Acrylic on paper, 53 × 65 in. (134.6 × 165.1 cm)

124

108

Irises 1979 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 53 × 65 in. (134.6 × 165.1 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): San Francisco Tapestry Workshop weaver ’ s insignia: Lower right, “SF” artist ’ s insignia: Lower left, “© Mark Adams 1979”

notes: In this tapestry, Adams presents a lush grouping of Dutch irises spread across the width of the tapestry. Adams’s design displays the irises in realistic detail, and also uses the irises as a device to show the passage of time with the changing of colors from light to dark. The background in the upper part of the tapestry is where Adams expresses the primary focus for his composition. The irises are shown in shadow and colored in various shades of purple against a nighttime sky. The dark sky of the tapestry begins to change colors as it shifts to the right and blends to lavender. This movement of color continues to move toward the right as the lavender blends into mauve, the mauve blends into pinks, the pinks blend into oranges, and finally culminates at the upper right with the oranges blending into red.

125

Final design cartoon for Sunset with Palms (Hawaiian Sunset No. 2), 1979, Acrylic on paper, 63 × 67 in. (160 × 170.2 cm)

126

109

Sunset with Palms (Hawaiian Sunset No. 2) 1979 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 63 × 67 in. (160 × 170.2 cm) edition: Declared edition of four, only two were woven; plus one Artist’s Proof weaver(s): Rudi Richardson at San Francisco Tapestry Workshop weaver ’ s insignia: Lower right, “SF R” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “© Mark Adams 1979”

notes: This is the second tapestry in the series that Adams designed to capture the myriad colors of the Hawaiian sunsets. Adams and his wife, Beth Van Hoesen, were in Hawaii on numerous occasions, and watching the colorful drama of the sun sinking into the Pacific Ocean was one of their favorite activities of the day. The other two tapestries in the series are Haena Point (Hawaiian Sunset No. 1) (Cat. No. 107) and Firecliff, Kauai (Hawaiian Sunset No. 3) (Cat. No. 106). In this tapestry, he has added two palm trees silhouetted in the colorful display of the setting sun. Tapestry number one of an edition of four is in the collection of the Federal Reserve Bank, Los Angeles, California. Tapestry number two of an edition of four and the final design cartoon are in the collection of the Racine Art Museum. Three of the preliminary design cartoons are in the collection of Mark Adams papers and artwork (M1747), Department of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, California. 127

Preliminary design cartoon for In Celebration of Cabeza de Vaca, 1980, Acrylic on paper, 288 × 288 in. (731.5 × 731.5 cm)

128

1980 110

In Celebration of Cabeza de Vaca 1980 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 288 × 288 in. (731.5 × 731.5 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): Pinton Freres weaver ’ s insignia: Lower right, “PF”; “AQ” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “Mark Adams” notes: This work is the largest and most ambitious of Adams’s works in tapestry. Adam’s use of color and contrasts in this tapestry is a grand operatic performance and, as Paul Mills wrote, the tapestry’s “brilliant glow and stunning impact would allow it to hold its own in any Spanish baroque palace. Adams depicts Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca, the sixteenth-century Spanish explorer who was the first European to cross Texas, as a handsome young explorer, arms outstretched, full of joy and bold as brass, holding a bright flag above him. This novel flag shows the Spanish flag, quartering the arms of Castilla and León, curving to become the Lone Star flag of Texas.”

111

Sauvignon Blanc 1980 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 78 × 60 in. (198.1 × 152.4 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): San Francisco Tapestry Workshop weaver ’ s insignia: Lower right, “SF” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “Mark Adams 1980” notes: Adams’s tapestry design explores the effects of light and shadow as the changing light moves across the surface of the cluster of grapes. To create drama and a sense of dimensionality, the grapes are shown against a dark background so they almost seem to emerge from the space. In addition, the dark red band at the bottom of the tapestry further accentuates the sense of depth in Adams’s composition. Paul Mills observed that “... each grape is a tiny, perfect orb, with highlighting and shadow. Each takes its place in the varying light that falls on the whole cluster. The grapes most in shadow at the back pick up a touch of blue light along their frosty edges.”

129

Final design cartoon for Tulips, 1982, Acrylic on paper, 54 × 56½ in. (142.2 × 138.4 cm)

130

1982 112

Tulips 1982 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 56 × 54½ in. (142.2 × 138.4 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): Pinton Freres, Tapisserie d’Aubusson, Pinton, Felletin, France weaver ’ s insignia: Lower left, “PF” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “Mark Adams 82 / ©”

notes: Adams would work on as many as twelve to fifteen design cartoons before he settled on a final design cartoon to be sent to the weavers. Even then, final adjustments would have to be made. Many of Adams’s design cartoons, some with paper cutouts and colored pieces of paper attached with glue and cellophane tape, were too fragile to survive. In the surviving design cartoon for Tulips, it is possible to see a small part of Adams’s process and how his decisions regarding colors evolved from the design cartoon to the tapestry. The surviving design cartoon for Tulips is in the collection of Mark Adams papers and artwork (M1747), Department of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, California.

131

1981 – 1983 113

Gardens: San Francisco Airport Commission Triptych 1981 – 1983 dimensions: 84 × 444 in. (213.4 × 1127.8 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned notes: This triptych was commissioned for the San Francisco International Airport and is now on display in Terminal 2. Adams worked on the design cartoons for all of the panels together. After the design cartoons were finalized by Adams, they were presented to the San Francisco Airport Commission for final approval. Each panel of the triptych shows a different San Francisco Bay Area garden with the garden’s flowers captured in a particular light, and ambience. All three of the panels were woven by the San Francisco Tapestry Workshop.

132

Preliminary design cartoon for Pond in Golden Gate Park, 1981, 84 × 96 in. (213.4 × 243.8 cm)

Final design cartoon for Pond in Golden Gate Park, 1981, 84 × 96 in. (213.4 × 243.8 cm)

113a

Pond in Golden Gate Park (left panel) 1981 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 84 × 96 in. (213.4 × 243.8 cm) edition: Two weaver(s): San Francisco Tapestry Workshop weaver ’ s insignia: Lower left, “SF” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “© Mark Adams 1981” notes: This is the left panel of the triptych, and was the first tapestry to be woven. In the foreground of the tapestry, a large grouping of white Japanese irises are shown growing at the edge of a pond against a background of abstracted silhouettes of eucalyptus and Monterey pine revealing the pinks and yellows of sunset. Two tapestries were woven by the San Francisco Tapestry Workshop from Adams’s design cartoon. The original tapestry was stolen while the tapestries were in storage during the remodeling of Terminal 2, and the weaving of another tapestry was authorized by the San Francisco Airport Commission as a replacement for the missing tapestry. The original tapestry has since been recovered. Two design cartoons for this tapestry are in the collection of Mark Adams papers and artwork (M1747), Department of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, California.

133

Preliminary design cartoon 1 for Garden in San Andreas Valley, 1982, Acrylic on paper, 84 × 204 in. (213.4 × 518.2 cm)

Preliminary design cartoon 3 for Garden in San Andreas Valley, 1982, Acrylic on paper, 84 × 204 in. (213.4 × 518.2 cm)

134

Preliminary design cartoon 2 for Garden in San Andreas Valley, 1982, Acrylic on paper, 84 × 204 in. (213.4 × 518.2 cm)

113b

Garden in San Andreas Valley (center panel) 1982 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 84 × 204 in. (213.4 × 518.2 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): Phoebe McAfee and Rudi Richardson weaver ’ s insignia: Lower left, “M SF R” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “© Mark Adams 82”

notes: The center panel of the triptych is the largest of the three panels and shows a more formal garden setting than the other two. In the center of the tapestry is an open iron gate flanked on either side by yew trees. A view of a formal garden can be seen through the open gate. Adams’s use of reds, blues, and blacks capture the quiet atmosphere of twilight. Three design cartoons for this tapestry are in the collection of Mark Adams papers and artwork (M1747), Department of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, California.

135

Preliminary design cartoon 1 for Garden Outside the Gate, 1983, Acrylic on paper, 84 × 144 in. (213.4 × 365.8 cm)

Final design cartoon for Garden Outside the Gate, 1983, Acrylic on paper, 84 × 144 in. (213.4 × 365.8 cm)

136

113c

Garden Outside the Gate (right panel) 1983 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 84 × 144 in. (213.4 × 365.8 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): Phoebe McAfee and Rudi Richardson weaver ’ s insignia: Lower left, “M SF R” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “© Mark Adams 83”

notes: The right panel of the triptych shows a garden of several varieties of multicolored dahlias in full bloom just after sunset. The colors of the dahlias are still vibrant, and the flowers dominate the center of the tapestry. On the left side of the tapestry, the glow of the setting sun colors the sky a bright orange and the water reflecting the light glows red-orange. A fence on the left is shown in shadow and is colored blue against the red of the water. The right of the tapestry is a contrast of blues. The three known design cartoons for this tapestry are in the collection of Mark Adams papers and artwork (M1747), Department of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, California.

137

Pink Rose in Glass, 1983, Watercolor and graphite on paper, 18 × 24 in. (45.7 × 61 cm)

138

1983 114

Pink Rose 1983 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 69 × 64 in. (175.3 × 162.6 cm) edition: Two weaver(s): Phoebe McAfee and Rudi Richardson weaver ’ s insignia: Lower right, “M SF R” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “© Mark Adams ‘83”

notes: The rose design of this tapestry is related to Adams’s work in other media. One of Adams’s watercolors, Pink Rose in Glass, 1983, is very close to this tapestry composition. Both the watercolor and the tapestry show a lush pink rose, each petal delicately shaded from dark to lighter pinks, with its stem and small leaves placed in a small glass of water. However, it is the different setting that Adams has created for each work that shows his different intentions and focus. In the watercolor, the rose and glass are shown against a lightly shaded peach background with the shadow of the glass slightly shaded against the darker wash. The overall impression is one of quiet serenity. The setting for the tapestry is more visually active and dramatic. The rose and glass are displayed on a Turkish carpet that is boldly patterned in reds and blues. Adams pays greater attention to the glass of water by showing the reflection of light on the edges and bottom of the glass. A subtle distortion of the rug’s pattern can be seen through the glass, and on the lower left of the tapestry, the shadow cast over the carpet by the glass is shown in darker reds and blues with a small sliver of a lighter red for the reflection in the shadow. Tapestry number one of an edition of two was purchased by the Federal Reserve Bank, Portland, Oregon.

139

1984 115

Peony 1984 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 69 × 76 in. (175.3 × 193 cm) edition: Two weaver(s): Phoebe McAfee and Rudi Richardson weaver ’ s insignia: Lower left, “M SF R” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “© Mark Adams ‘84”

140

notes: Adams’s design for this tapestry is similar to his design of Pink Rose, 1983 (Cat. No. 114). His subject is a cream-colored peony in a glass of water, which has been placed in the center of the tapestry and dominates the composition. The peony has been placed on a dark blue Turkish carpet with its red center medallion and light tan patterning. Although the peony is a light cream-colored blossom, Adams has added touches of pinks, roses, lavenders, and blues at the base of the flower, with delicate highlights using lighter shades toward the tips of the petals.

Preliminary design cartoon for Young Palm, 1985, Acrylic on paper, 54 × 66 in. (137.2 × 167.6 cm)

Final design cartoon for Young Palm, 1985, Acrylic on paper, 54 × 66 in. (137.2 × 167.6 cm)

1985 116

Young Palm 1985 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 54 × 66 in. (137.2 × 167.6 cm) edition: Declared edition of four, only three were woven weaver(s): Phoebe McAfee and Rudi Richardson weaver ’ s insignia: Lower right, “M SF R” artist ’ s insignia: Lower left, “© Mark Adams 85” notes: This tapestry is a fandango of greens, oranges, blues, lavenders, and mauves moving in and around the leaves of the palm fronds. Only two design cartoons exist for this tapestry of the several that were originally made by Adams. One is a preliminary design cartoon that shows more contrast and brighter colors; the other is the final design cartoon showing Adams’s final decision on the colors and the placement of the insignias. The two design cartoons and tapestry number one of an edition of four are in the collection of the Racine Art Museum.

141

1986 117

Rose and Dogwood 1986 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 72 × 80 in. (182.9 × 203.2 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): Phoebe McAfee and Rudi Richardson weaver ’ s insignia: Lower right, “M SF R” artist ’ s insignia: Lower left, “Mark Adams”

142

notes: In this tapestry Adams has revisited the designs of several earlier tapestries that reference medieval mille fleur tapestries, but with a modern interpretation. The setting for the tapestry is a wood deck with simple vertical supports and a railing that surrounds it. The deck is covered by a multi-colored Turkish carpet in reds and teal blues with a black border and patterning in tans and creams. Lying on the carpet is a Dalmatian dog named Rose who is looking out at the viewer. A black and brown cat is asleep on one of the railings in the center right of the tapestry. On the lower left is a glass vase filled with orange blossoms. The background of the tapestry shows a dogwood tree in full bloom with white blossoms covering more than half of the tapestry. The rich patterning of the dogwood’s white flowers is shown against a multi-colored background of pinks, blues, yellow-greens, and dark greens. Adams’s composition, like his early tapestry, Unicorn, 1955 (Cat. No. 006), references the medieval tapestry The Captured Unicorn.

1987 118

Garden at the Lake 1987 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 84 × 252 in. (213.4 × 640.1 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): Phoebe McAfee and Rudi Richardson weaver ’ s insignia: Left edge, “M SF R” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “© Mark Adams ‘87”

notes: Adams’s treatment of the flowers that are arranged diagonally from the lower left to the upper right is reminiscent of his design for Garden in San Andreas Valley (Cat. No. 113B). Above the mass of flowering plants on the upper left is a dock built over the bright blue water of the lake. In the lower right corner is a rowboat tied to a small wooden dock floating on a small inlet of bright blue water. Reflections of several of the flowering plants are shown on the lake’s surface behind and around the small boat. This tapestry was commissioned by the Lutheran Brotherhood, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

143

Glass, 1961, Etching: Printer’s ink on paper, 4 × 2⅞ in. (10.2 × 7.3 cm)

144

1989 119

Glass of Water 1989 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 63 × 49 in. (160 × 124.5 cm) edition: Two weaver(s): Rudi Richardson weaver ’ s insignia: Upper left, “R SF R” artist ’ s insignia: Upper right, “© Mark Adams 1989”

notes: Adams has created numerous etchings and watercolors with a glass or jar of water as the subject. His design for this tapestry shows a glass of water placed in the center of the tapestry. The surface of the water is shown as a sphere of light brown with a light-colored vertical edge on each side of the glass as a suggestion of its shape. The glass of water is shown against an almost black background, with a small border of brown along the bottom of the tapestry. Adams’s design seems to be focused on the thick bottom of the glass and is a marvel of color blends and shadings of greys, blacks, and browns with small touches of colors at the bottom of the glass to display its reflections of light.

145

Final design cartoon for Lotus, Sumatra, 1989, Acrylic on paper, 80 × 92 in. (203.2 × 233.7 cm)

146

120

Lotus, Sumatra 1989 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 80 × 92 in. (203.2 × 233.7 cm) edition: Declared edition of four, only two woven weaver(s): Phoebe McAfee and Rudi Richardson weaver ’ s insignia: Lower left, “M SF R” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “© Mark Adams 89”

notes: Adams’s design for this tapestry evokes a variety of Asian influences and memories of his visits to Sumatra, a volcanic island in the chain of islands of Indonesia. In his design, the large lotus dominates the center of the tapestry and is shown growing out of a dark blue pool of water. In the background are various streaks of color that suggest falling rain shown against a background of patterned reds. The surface of the pool has bits of color shapes that indicate the indentations of raindrops on the water’s surface, as well as showing the reflection of light. There are two wide neon-orange stripes that are shown behind the lotus. In the upper part of each stripe is a dark circle that symbolizes the beginning of the cosmos. In addition, there are two other circles, one placed in the lower left and one in the lower right of the tapestry. These circles of black and white stripes are divided into quarters to symbolize the divisions and harmony of opposites, much like the more recognizable black and white yin and yang symbol. Tapestry number one of an edition of four is in the collection of the Oakland Museum of California. Tapestry number two of an edition of four is in the collection of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. The design cartoon is in the collection of Mark Adams papers and artwork (M1747), Department of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, California. 147

Design cartoon, c.1990, Acrylic on paper, 60 × 72 in. (152.4 × 182.9 cm)

148

1991 121

Lilith 1991 media: Wool weft on cotton warp dimensions: 29½ × 78 in. (74.9 × 198.1 cm) edition: Unique, not editioned weaver(s): Phoebe McAfee weaver ’ s insignia: Lower left, “SF M” artist ’ s insignia: Lower right, “Mark Adams 91”

notes: Groupings of pomegranates have been used by Adams as the subject of several drawings and watercolors because of their varied colors, rounded but lumpy shapes, and symbolic associations. In his design for this tapestry, Adams has referenced some pomegranate associations to enrich the story of Lilith. The female figure dominates the horizontal composition of the tapestry. She seems to be floating in and around tree-like forms against a simple, colored background of reds that are darker on the left and are shaded to lighter on the right. The story of Lilith is based on an ancient legend of an evil female spirit that would haunt deserted places and attack children. In Hebrew folk tales, Lilith is believed to be the first wife of Adam (before the creation of Eve). With these stories in mind, Adams has incorporated a variety of references into his design: stars in various colors are placed around the figure to create an ethereal setting for his figure which seems weightless and eternal; the blue-green coloring Adams has used on parts of the figure has often been used to indicate a ghost or a spirit; the tree-like forms seems to be related to the pomegranates that are floating around the figure, and it is the pomegranate, rather than the apple, that has been identified as the fruit growing on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden that Satan used to seduce Eve. This is the last tapestry of Adams’s designs to be woven.

149

Unwoven Design Cartoons

151

152

153

41. Coq with Black and White Patterns, 1955

154

Alphabetical Index

title

cat. no.

A Aegis Aeons Apocalypse Clouds Archangel

054 021 078 009

B Beach House Birds and Oranges Black Birds Blocks Blumlein Tapestry Burning Bush

007 010 037 079 084 003

C Cabbage Leaves Cabbage Roses California Poppies Canticle Catherine Wheel Cherubim Coat of Many Colors Conservatory Cup with Lemon Leaves

089 065 090 030 031 014 080 038 091

D, E Dahlia Daisies Douglas Fir Eclipse of the Moon

085 046 059 020

title F Fire Fountain Firecliff, Kauai (Hawaiian Sunset No. 3) Fireflies Fireworks Flight of Angels Flowering Plants Fog G Garden at the Lake Garden in San Andreas Valley Garden Outside the Gate Gardens Geraniums Glass of Water Great Wing Guinea Birds

cat. no.

032 106 022 033 047 048 087 118 113b 113c 113 060 119 039 023

H Haena Point (Hawaiian Sunset No. 1)

107

I Imari Cup In Celebration of Cabeza de Vaca Iris Irises

103 110 040 108

J, K Jade Tree Joseph’s Coat

055 041

title

cat. no.

L Lemon Tree Lights Lilith Little Canticle Little Orange Tree Lotus, Sumatra

042 061 121 004 043 120

M Macrocosmos Magnolia Tree Man Flying Map Messenger Mosque

011 062 066 067 056 012

N, O Nancy’s Wings Narcissus Nasturtiums Nasturtiums II Night Banner Ninth

092 093 049 094 005 024

P Pavilion Peony Persimmons Phoenix and the Golden Gate Pink Pool Pink Rose

025 115 095 013 015 114

155

42. Coq with Colored Patterns, 1955

156

title

cat. no.

Pond in Golden Gate Park Poppies Potted Plants Primeval Garden Profusion

113a 086 044 016 058

Q Quartet Queen of Heaven Queen of Heaven

026 001 017

R Rabbits Ranunculas Red Sky Resurrection Rose Rose and Dogwood Rose Buds Rose Peony Round Ruby Ruby

027 068 057 028 069 117 070 096 074 050

title

cat. no.

S Sauvignon Blanc Saxifrage [Saxofrassia] Scallops Sea Lions Sea Rocks Seraphim Seraphim II Shell Snapdragons Spring Snow St. John the Baptist Stone Garden Summer Window Sunset with Palms (Hawaiian Sunset No. 2)

111 051 075 034 045 018 076 088 063 052 064 097 002 109

T Tahoe Three Continents I Three Continents II Tulips Two Poppies

019 071 072 112 098

U Unicorn

006

title

cat. no.

V Vine

081

W, X Waterfall Waterlilies Waterlilies and Fish Weyerhauser Tapestry White Bird White Block White Geraniums White Grapes White Iris White Magnolia Tree White Peony White Petunias Wild Bird Wing Winter Pears

082 029 104 083 008 099 073 077 053 100 101 105 035 036 102

Y, Z Young Palm

116

157

Tapestry Terms and Definitions Deborah Corsini Pam Rino Evans

NOTE : References to other terms are italicized.

Aubusson: The term Aubusson is primarily associated with the name of the village, but is also used to refer to the surrounding region in central France that is the home for generations of weavers and workers associated with weaving arts. Although many of the weavers worked independently, some weavers joined together to form ateliers. Many of the weaving traditions were passed on through a system of apprenticeships and through classes offered at the Ecole des Arts Décoratifs d’Aubusson. The area of Aubusson is where Jean Lurçat located his atelier to revive the generations-old tapestry traditions after World War II. All of the tapestry weaving in the Aubusson area was done on low-warp looms and the term Aubusson is also used to describe tapestries that are woven on this type of loom. Bobbin or Shuttle: A bobbin or shuttle is used to hold a small supply of weft for tapestry weaving. Tapestry bobbins may have rounded or pointed ends. The pointed end bobbin or shuttle is used in the high-warp loom. The pointed tip of the bobbin or shuttle is used to press down the weft after each pass. The rounded bobbin or shuttle is used in the low-warp loom. Complete pass or double pass: In tapestry weaving, a complete pass or double pass refers to the covering of every warp on both sides of the textile with weft. The first half pass covers alternate warps as it travels in one direction; the second half pass covers the opposite warps as it travels in the opposite direction. The weft from a double pass is rammed into place (see Packing the Weft), which creates a web covering the warp entirely. The warp is hinted at through ridges visible on the tapestry. Design Cartoon: A full scale painted or drawn rendering of the tapestry design. The cartoon shows the boundaries of an area of color and the changeover from one color to another. A zigzag line in a cartoon indicates the weaver needs to create a hachure. While creating the cartoon, the artist must consider final texture and the direction of the weave. Tapestry is hung perpendicular to the warp. This turn is done for multiple reasons. For example, a wider tapestry can be created on a smaller frame if it is woven sideways on the warp. Also, if the ridges that result from the warp are horizontal, they catch the light as the tapestry hangs, while vertical ridges do not have this effect. Further considerations for the artist while creating the cartoon involve the type of production that will follow. In

opposite: 43. Beth Van Hoesen (1926 – 2010) Mark and Coq, 1955 above: 44. Coq with Colored Wings, 1955

159

a high-warp loom, the cartoon is traced directly onto the warp. The cartoon is hung as a reference on color and design. The resulting tapestry is aligned with the cartoon. On a low-warp loom, the cartoon is placed directly under the warp. The resulting tapestry is a mirror image of the cartoon. Dovetail: When a weaver changes color, if the different color wefts do not intertwine, a split develops, weakening the fabric. Dovetailing is one technique used to join colors and prevent a split. It involves reversing the directions of two adjacent wefts around a common warp. Coming from one side, the first color weft wraps around the warp. The second color weft wraps around the warp from the other direction. On the warp, the two colors alternate. The result is a secure, horizontal line that is visible from the front of the tapestry. Eccentric Weaving: To achieve a special textural effect, weft is deliberately woven in a diagonal direction in relation to the warp, rather than the usual right angle. The result creates a richly textured, three-dimensional surface on the tapestry. Gobelin: A French tapestry workshop originally established by Louis XIV, now a National Manufactory specializing in high-warp weaving. Gobelin is also a term used to describe traditional flat-woven tapestry or interlocking wefts. A Gobelin-style loom is a vertical tapestry loom (high-warp) with roller beams and a simple hand-manipulated system for opening the two sheds. Hachures: A coloring technique in tapestry. The weaver creates triangular shapes of contrasting weft colors. The result creates shading and half tones. Hachures were originally used only to blend colors. Hachures in the early sixteenth century were also used to represent three-dimensional form in the tapestry. After the Renaissance, tapestries began to mimic the subtle color of paintings, and hachures became decorative without the original purposes of color blending and three-dimensional appearance. The multiple use of the hachure returned with the modern revival of tapestry started in Aubusson by Jean Lurçat. Heddles: In order to create a tapestry, the weaver must be able to access alternate warp threads. A heddle is a loop around the warp thread on the loom. Heddles are then linked over a heddle bar. When tension is applied to the heddle, a space develops between the even and odd warp through which the bobbin can be passed. In a high-warp loom, the heddle-rod is manipulated by hand. In a low-warp loom, all even numbered threads are in one series of heddle, all odd numbered are in another series of heddle. Tension is applied to the low-warp heddle bars by a foot pedal, called a treadle. High-warp loom: A tapestry loom that stretches the warp vertically between two rollers. The even and odd warp is kept permanently separated by a separating rod. The back

160

warp, which is further from the weaver, has heddles attached. The weaver must manipulate the heddles by hand. The weaver works from the back of the tapestry. Compared to the low-warp loom, the high-warp weaving is slower because the weaver has only one hand to pass the bobbin through the shed. However, the advantage of the high-warp loom is that the weaver can check the front of the tapestry to see detail at any time during weaving. Interlocking: When a weaver changes color, if the different color wefts do not intertwine, a split develops, weakening the fabric. Interlocking is one technique used to join colors. It involves two adjacent wefts wrapping around each other instead of a common warp. The result is a stronger fabric with minimal visual distraction; however, it is more time consuming for the weaver. Low-warp loom: A tapestry loom that stretches the warp horizontally between two rollers. Both even and odd warp threads have heddles attached. Pedals, called treadles, control the heddles to create the shed, which frees both the weaver’s hands to pass the bobbin. The weaver works on the back of the tapestry and is unable to see the front during weaving. The design is placed underneath the loom to guide the weaver, so the final tapestry is inverted from the cartoon. The advantage of the low-warp loom compared to a high-warp loom is the greater production speed. However, working from the back of the tapestry and unable to see the front, the weaver is entirely dependent on the cartoon. Mélange: A technique to blend colors before weaving begins. A mélange is a mixture of different threads in the same weft to give gradations of a color. The mélange is selected during the sampling process. Packing the Weft or Beating: In weaving a tapestry the weft passes through the warp. After two or three complete passes, the weaver beats the weft tightly into a shed to create the texture and visual effect desired. Portee: The system to calculate the fineness of a tapestry. The French measurement of warp sett is based upon groups of 12 warp threads on a 40-cm (15¾ in.) heddle bar; 13 portee means 13 groups of 12 threads within 40 cm. Course textures, around 8 to 10 portee, are used for carpets. Contemporary tapestry designs are often around 16 portee. Intricate designs require 18 to 20 portee. Sampling: The selection of all the wools corresponding to the colors on the design cartoon to be used in the tapestry. The yarn must be chosen by the color and depth of shade, and how it relates to the colors around it. The texture of the yarn must also be selected to produce the desired result of the tapestry.

Shed: The opening created by raising alternating warp threads. During weaving, the weft travels through the shed on a bobbin or shuttle. Soumak: An ancient technique for knotting wefts around warps to produce a dense, evenly textured textile. The weft wrapping goes over two warps and under one to create a raised surface on the tapestry. This technique is often used by weavers for outlining. Tabby: The simplest weaving in which one set of yarns is woven at right angles into a second set of yarn. In a tabby, the weft travels over even numbered warps in one shed, at the end of the row the direction is reversed, and the weft travels over the odd numbered warps in the alternate shed. The resulting weave has a checkerboard appearance, with both the warp threads and the weft threads visible on the front. Tapestry: A hand woven pictorial weaving, where the interweaving of individual, discontinuous weft yarns with tensioned warp yarns through two alternate sheds results in a weft-surface textile constructed simultaneously with its patterns or images. In tapestry, the yarns used in the weft and warp are unequal in character. The warp yarn is coarse, undyed, and widely spaced. The weft yarn is carefully selected by the artist for texture and color. During the process of weaving, the even and odd warps are separated creating a shed through which a shuttle or bobbin pulling the weft thread is passed. The warps are reversed to create a new shed and the weft thread is passed in the opposite direction. After a complete pass, the weft has covered both sides of the warp and is tightly packed together. The resulting web completely covers the warp. The warp is visible only as ridges. After it is complete, tapestry is hung perpendicular to the warp. This turn is done for multiple reasons. For example, a wider tapestry can be created on a smaller frame if it is woven sideways on the warp. Also, if the ridges that result from the warp are horizontal, they catch the light as the tapestry hangs, while vertical ridges do not have this effect. Warp: The threads stretched vertically on a loom. In tapestry weaving, the warp is coarse, undyed, and widely spaced. Although invisible when the tapestry is complete, the thickness of the warp determines the ridges on the tapestry, and affects how close together the threads can be. The density of the threads will affect the detail possible in the tapestry. To perform the weaving, a heddle is placed around the warp thread on the loom. Heddles are then linked over a heddle bar. When tension is applied to the heddle, a space develops between the even and odd warp through which the bobbin or shuttle can be passed. Weft: The horizontal threads interlacing with the warp in weaving. In tapestry, the texture and color of the weft varies significantly from the warp. When the tapestry is complete, the weft completely covers the warp. The texture and color catch the light and give the tapestry its rich visual result. definitions compiled by debor ah corsini and pam rino evans

above: 45. Coq with Black and Blue Designs, 1955

161

Works Illustrated

page ii Photograph by Morley Baer, 1981 Mark Adams page iv Wooden Box, 1985 Watercolor on Arches 140 lb. cold-pressed paper 18 × 20 in. (45.7 × 50.8 cm) Private Collection page vi Beth Van Hoesen (1926 – 2010) Mark and Wayne, c.1977 Graphite on paper 14⅛ × 17⅞ in. (35.9 × 45.4 cm) Collection of Oakland Museum of California page viii Beam Scrap, 1978 Watercolor on Arches 140 lb. cold-pressed paper 17⅝ × 23 in. (44.8 × 58.4 cm) Private Collection page x Lily in Shadow, 1982 Watercolor on Arches 140 lb. cold-pressed paper 10¼ × 11 in (26 × 27.9 cm) Private Collection page xii Barn with Full Moon, 1990 Watercolor on Arches 140 lb. cold-pressed paper 22½ × 28¼ in. (57.2 × 71.8 cm) Private Collection page xiv Beth’s Lettuce Soup, 1984 Aquatint on paper 12⅛ × 15⅛ in. (30.8 × 38.4 cm) Collection of Racine Art Museum

Toe Shoes, 1993 Color aquatint with hardground, burnishing, and hand coloring on BFK Rives white paper 13¼ × 15¼ in. (33.7 × 38.7 cm) Impressions of this print are in the collections of Syracuse University; University Art Museums (Ames, IA); Oakland Museum of California; and Fresno Art Museum.

Minor White, 1950 Mark Adams Mark Adams papers and artwork (M1747), Collection of Department of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, California.

page xv Kihei from Kula, 1985 Watercolor on paper 18 × 24 in. (45.7 × 61 cm) Private Collection

page xix Minor White, 1950 Mark Adams Mark Adams papers and artwork (M1747), Collection of Department of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, California.

page xvi Beth Van Hoesen (1926 – 2010) Mark’s Studio Table in S.F., 1954 Ink on paper 8 × 9⅞ in. (20.3 × 25.1 cm) Private Collection

Minor White, 1950 Mark Adams Mark Adams papers and artwork (M1747), Collection of Department of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, California.

page xvii Beth Van Hoesen (1926 – 2010) Mark Holding Magnifying Glass, 1963 Graphite on paper 9⅞ × 8 in. (25.1 × 20.3 cm) Collection of The Art Institute of Chicago

page xx Self Portrait with Eyeshade, 1990 Acrylic on board 26 × 24 in. (66 × 61 cm) Private Collection

page xviii Imogen Cunningham, 1964 Photograph of Beth Van Hoesen and Mark Adams in front of Adams’s tapestry Great Wing Mark Adams papers and artwork (M1747), Collection of Department of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, California.

page xxvi Queen of Heaven, 1958 Wool weft on cotton warp 108 × 72 in. (274.3 × 182.9 cm) cat. no. 017 Collection of Dallas Art Museum

opposite: 46. Open Book, 1995

163

1. Photographer Unknown, 1952 Mark Adams in front of Adams’s design cartoon for the embroidered tapestry Queen of Heaven 2. Photographer Unknown, c.1960 Mark Adams preparing cartoon design for tapestry 3. Night Banner, 1955 Wool weft on cotton warp 39 × 63 in. (99.1 × 160 cm) cat. no. 005 Collection of the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles 4. Burning Bush, 1955 Wool weft on cotton warp 48 × 36 in. (121.9 × 91.4 cm) cat. no. 003 Private Collection 5. Wing, 1960 Wool weft on cotton warp 48 × 63 in. (121.9 × 160 cm) cat. no. 036 Private Collection 6. Great Wing, 1961 Wool weft on cotton warp 108 × 126 in. (274.3 × 320 cm) cat. no. 039 Private Collection 7. Flight of Angels, 1962 Wool weft on cotton warp 120 × 144 in. (304.8 × 365.8 cm) cat. no. 047 Collection of Mark Adams papers and artwork (M1747), Department of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, California. 8. Profusion, 1965 Wool weft on cotton warp 88 × 72 in. (223.5 × 182.9 cm) cat. no. 058 Private Collection

164

9. White Block, 1976 Wool weft on cotton warp 52 × 44 in. (132.1 × 111.8 cm) cat. no. 099 Private Collection 10. White Petunias, 1978 Wool weft on cotton warp 52 × 40 in. (132.1 × 101.6 cm) cat. no. 105 Collection of Racine Art Museum 11. Sauvignon Blanc, 1980 Wool weft on cotton warp 78 × 60 in. (198.1 × 152.4 cm) cat. no. 111 Private Collection 12. Pink Rose, 1983 Wool weft on cotton warp 69 × 64 in. (175.3 × 162.6 cm) cat. no. 114 Private Collection 13. Waterfall, 1971 Wool weft on cotton warp 90 × 96 in. (228.6 × 243.8 cm) cat. no. 082 Private Collection 14. Sunset with Palms (Hawaiian Sunset No. 2), 1979 Wool weft on cotton warp 63 × 67 in. (160 × 170.2 cm) cat. no. 109 Collection of Racine Art Museum 15. Weyerhauser Tapestry, 1971 Wool weft on cotton warp 84 × 420 in. (203.2 × 1066.8 cm) cat. no. 083 Collection of the Weyerhauser Company 16. In Celebration of Cabeza de Vaca, 1980 Wool weft on cotton warp 288 × 288 in. (731.5 × 731.5 cm) cat. no. 110 Private Collection

17. Gardens, Tapestry Suite, 1980 – 83 Wool weft on cotton warp 84 × 444 in. (213.4 × 1127.8 cm) cat. no. 113 Collection of San Francisco Arts Commission at San Francisco International Airport 18. Pond in Golden Gate Park, 1981 Wool weft on cotton warp 84 × 96 in. (213.4 × 243.8 cm) cat. no. 113a Collection of San Francisco Arts Commission at San Francisco International Airport 19. Garden in San Andreas Valley, 1982 Wool weft on cotton warp 84 × 204 in. (213.4 × 518.2 cm) cat. no. 113b Collection of San Francisco Arts Commission at San Francisco International Airport 20. Preliminary design cartoon for Garden Outside the Gate, 1983 Acrylic on paper 84 × 144 in. (213.4 × 365.8 cm) cat. no. 113c Collection of San Francisco Arts Commission at San Francisco International Airport 21. Preliminary design cartoon 2 for Garden Outside the Gate, 1983 Acrylic on paper 84 × 144 in. (213.4 × 365.8 cm) cat. no. 113c Collection of San Francisco Arts Commission at San Francisco International Airport 22. Garden Outside the Gate, 1983 Wool weft on cotton warp 84 × 144 in. (213.4 × 365.8 cm) cat. no. 113c Collection of San Francisco Arts Commission at San Francisco International Airport 23. Beth Van Hoesen (1926 – 2010) Mark Adams (Study for Watercolor), 1980 Colored pencil and graphite on paper 6½ × 7¼ in. (16.5 × 18.4 cm) Private Collection

24. Self Portrait, 1982 Watercolor on Arches 140 lb. cold-pressed paper 16½ × 17½ in. (41.9 × 44.5 cm) Private Collection 25. Cloth label sewn on the back of Adams’s tapestry Tulips, 1982 26. Woven border on back of Adams’s tapestry Tulips, 1982, to indicate edition number one of six 27. Beth Van Hoesen (1926 – 2010) Chateau de Saint-Laurent, 1955 Ink on paper 8¼ × 9¼ in. (21 × 24.8 cm) Collection of the Beth Van Hoesen Archive at Portland Art Museum 28. Beth Van Hoesen (1926 – 2010) Houses in Saint-Céré, France, 1955 Ink on paper 8¼ × 10¼ in. (21 × 26 cm) Collection of the Beth Van Hoesen Archive at Portland Art Museum 29. Photographer Unknown, 1955 Jean Lurçat, Chàteau de Saint-Laurent, Saint-Céré, France 30. Beth Van Hoesen, 1955 Mark Adams arriving in Saint-Céré to begin his apprenticeship with Jean Lurçat 31. Beth Van Hoesen (1926 – 2010) Drawing of Mark Adams working on cartoon for Jean Lurçat’s tapestry Phoenix, 1955 Ink on paper 8 × 10½ in. (20.3 × 26.7 cm) Collection of Mark Adams papers and artwork (M1747), Department of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, California. 32. Photographer Unknown, c.1960 Paul Avignon working at his loom, Aubusson 33. Photographer Unknown, c.1960 Marguerite Avignon (Mme. Paul Avignon) working at her loom, Aubusson

34. Victor Budnik, 1979 Ruth Tannenbaum (Scheuer) weaving, San Francisco Tapestry Workshop 35. Photographer Unknown, 2009 Jean-Pierre Larochette at his loom 36. Photographer Unknown, c.1960 Mark Adams preparing cartoon design for tapestry 37. Photographer Unknown, 1982 Mark Adams showing his design for tapestry Pond in Golden Gate Park 38. Pink Pool, 1958 Wool weft on cotton warp 36 × 63 in. (91.4 × 160 cm) cat. no. 015 Private Collection 39. Photographer Unknown, 1952 In progress, Adams’s embroidered tapestry Queen of Heaven 40. Photographer Unknown, 1952 In progress, Adams’s embroidered tapestry Queen of Heaven 41. Coq with Black and White Patterns, 1955 Ink on paper 4⅞ × 7½ in. (12.4 × 19.1 cm) Collection of Mark Adams papers and artwork (M1747), Department of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, California. 42. Coq with Colored Patterns, 1955 Ink and watercolor on paper 8¼ × 10½ in. (21 × 26.7 cm) Collection of Mark Adams papers and artwork (M1747), Department of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, California. 43. Beth Van Hoesen (1926 – 2010) Mark and Coq, 1955 Ink on paper 8 × 10½ in. (20.3 × 26.7) Collection of Mark Adams papers and artwork (M1747), Department of Special Collections and University

Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, California. 44. Coq with Colored Wing, 1955 Ink and watercolor on paper 7½ × 4⅞ in. (19.1 × 12.4 cm) Collection of Mark Adams papers and artwork (M1747), Department of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, California. 45. Coq with Blue and Black Designs, 1955 Ink and watercolor on paper 7½ × 4⅞ in. (19.1 × 12.4 cm) Collection of Mark Adams papers and artwork (M1747), Department of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, California. 46. Open Book, 1995 Watercolor on Arches 140 lb. cold-pressed paper 15¼ × 17⅜ in. (38.7 × 44.1 cm) Private Collection 47. Father’s Hat, 1977 Watercolor on Arches 140 lb. cold-pressed paper 15¼ × 17⅜ in. (38.7 × 44.1 cm) Private Collection 48. Near Pescadero, 1985 Watercolor on Arches 140 lb. cold-pressed paper 22½ × 30 in. (57.2 × 76.2 cm) Private Collection 49. Preliminary design cartoon for tapestry, c.1990 60 × 72 in. (150.5 × 182.9 cm) Collection of Mark Adams papers and artwork (M1747), Department of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, California. 50. Preliminary design cartoon for tapestry, c.1990 72 × 48 in. (182.9 × 121.9 cm) Collection of Mark Adams papers and artwork (M1747), Department of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, California.

165

Biography

Born 1925, Fort Plain, New York – 2006, San Francisco, California

Educ ation 1943 – 45

Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY

1945

Atelier 17, New York, NY, with Stanley William Hayter

1945, 1947

Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts, New York, NY

1947

Columbia University, New York, NY

1955

Ecole Nationale des Art Decoratif, Aubusson, France Apprenticeship with Jean Lurçat, Saint-Céré, France

Te aching/ Visiting Artist/ Work shops 1961

San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA

1963

American Academy in Rome. Painter in Residence

1972

San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA

1976

International Symposium on Tapestry, San Francisco, CA. Panelist

1978

University of California, Davis, CA. Distinguished Visiting Professor

1986

Arrowmont College of Arts and Crafts, Gatlinberg, TN

Tapestry Symposium, University of Maryland, College Park, MD. Lecture, symposium panel 1990

Tapestry Forum, Portland, OR. Lecture Palo Alto Cultural Center, Palo Alto, CA. Lecture in conjunction with retrospective exhibition

Solo E xhibitions 1957

Stanford University, Stanford, CA, Tapestries by Mark Adams, December 1, 1957 – January 5, 1958

1958

San Diego State College, San Diego, CA, Modern Tapestries by Mark Adams

1959

M. H. de Young Memorial Museum, San Francisco, CA, Tapestries: Mark Adams, March 29 – April 30. Brochure San Jose State College, San Jose, CA, Tapestries by Mark Adams

1961

Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR, Contemporary Tapestries: Mark Adams, July 25 – September 10 California Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco, CA, Contemporary Tapestries by Mark Adams, September 23 – October 22. Brochure San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA, Mark Adams: Tapestries

1964

French & Company, New York, NY, Tapestries by Mark Adams, March – April. Brochure

Palo Alto Cultural Center, Palo Alto, CA. Life Drawing Workshop

1966

Hansen Gallery, San Francisco, CA, Mark Adams, October 29 – November 23

Dominican College, San Rafael, CA. Watercolor workshop

1967

Santa Rosa Public Library, Santa Rosa, CA, Mark Adams: Tapestries and Drawings, November 26 – December 17

1968

Hansen Gallery, San Francisco, CA, Mark Adams

Arrowmont College of Arts and Crafts, Gatlinberg, TN Carmel Valley, CA. Watercolor Workshop

1988

Dominican College, San Rafael, CA. Watercolor workshop

1962

Pacific Grove, CA. Watercolor workshop 1987

1989

Walnut Creek Civic Arts Center, Walnut Creek, CA. Watercolor workshop Shaw Island, WA. Watercolor workshop University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT. Lecture and demonstration San Francisco Women Artists, San Francisco, CA. Lecture

opposite: 47. Father’s Hat, 1977

167

1970

California Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco, CA, Mark Adams: An Exhibition of Tapestries, Paintings, Stained Glass Windows and Architectural Designs, February 20 – April 26. Catalogue

2010

Brunnier Art Museum, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, Mark Adams: Translation of Light, August 24 - December 10. 3-Fold, Color Brochure

2012

San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles, San Jose, CA, Mark Adams, May 15 – July 29. Catalogue

Fountain Gallery, Portland, OR, Mark Adams: An Exhibition of Tapestries, October 13 – November 3. Brochure 1971

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA, Mark Adams

1972

Smith Andersen Gallery, Palo Alto, CA, Mark Adams

1978

John Berggruen Gallery, San Francisco, CA, Mark Adams: Recent Watercolors, September 25 – October 18

Two-Artist E xhibitions 1954

Gump’s Gallery, San Francisco, CA, Beth Van Hoesen—Drawings/Mark Adams—Tapestries, October 28 – November 11

1957

Stanford University Art Gallery, Stanford, CA, Contemporary Tapestries by Mark Adams; Dry Point Prints by Beth Van Hoesen, December 17, 1957 – January 5, 1958

1980

John Berggruen Gallery, San Francisco, CA, Mark Adams: Watercolors and Tapestries, April 16 – May 17. Catalogue

1981

Graham Galleries, New York, NY, Mark Adams: Recent Watercolors, November 7 – December 5

1969

Monterey Peninsula Museum of Art, Monterey, CA, Tapestries by Mark Adams and Graphics by Beth Van Hoesen

1982

John Berggruen Gallery, San Francisco, CA, Mark Adams: Recent Watercolors, December 15, 1982 – January 11, 1983

1973

Temple Emanu-El, San Francisco, CA, Mark Adams: Drawings, Paintings, Tapestries/Beth Van Hoesen: Intaglio Prints, July 27 – October 15

1983

Hastings Gallery of Art, Hastings College of the Law, University of California, San Francisco, CA, Mark Adams: Prints and Watercolors, October 19 – November 18. Brochure

1985

University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, TN, Two California Artists: Mark Adams and Beth Van Hoesen: Prints, Drawings, Watercolors, September 9 – 27. Travel to La Grange College, La Grange, GA, October

1984

Graham Modern, New York, NY, Mark Adams: Watercolor and Tapestries, June 13 – July 6

1987

Pacific Presbyterian Professional Building, San Francisco, CA, Mark Adams/ Beth Van Hoesen

1985

Fresno Arts Center, Fresno, CA, Mark Adams, January 30 – March 14. Travel to Monterey Peninsula Museum of Art, Monterey, CA, March 16 – April 28

1988

University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, Beth Van Hoesen and Mark Adams

John Berggruen Gallery, San Francisco, CA, Mark Adams: Recent Watercolors, April 9 – May 11

1995

John Berggruen Gallery, San Francisco, CA, Mark Adams, A Way with Color; Beth Van Hoesen, Works on Paper, November 7 – December 2

1987

John Berggruen Gallery, San Francisco, CA, Mark Adams: Paintings, September 8 – October 3

2012

The Arkell Museum, Canajoharie, NY, Mark Adams and Beth Van Hoesen: Life Observed Up-Close, March 29 – June 24

1989

Jane Haslem Salon, Washington, DC, Mark Adams: Tapestries, Drawings, Prints, March 15 – April 15

1990

Palo Alto Cultural Center, Palo Alto, CA, Mark Adams: A Retrospective, January 14 – March 4. Brochure

Cunningham Art Gallery, [location unknown], Beth Van Hoesen and Mark Adams, December

Group E xhibitions 1952

M. H. de Young Memorial Museum, San Francisco, CA, Religious Art by California Artists, October – November. Catalogue

John Berggruen Gallery, San Francisco, CA, Mark Adams: Paintings and Watercolors, November 12, 1990 – January 5, 1991

1953

San Francisco Museum of Art, San Francisco, CA, Annual Exhibition of the San Francisco Art Association

1994

John Berggruen Gallery, San Francisco, CA, Mark Adams: Paintings, Watercolors and Prints, June 8 – July 23

1954

2007

John Berggruen Gallery, San Francisco, CA, Mark Adams: Watercolor, June 7 – July 7. Catalogue

San Francisco Museum of Art, San Francisco, CA, 18th Annual Drawing and Print Exhibition of the San Francisco Art Association, July 8 – August 1. Catalogue

168

1956

Museum of Contemporary Crafts, New York, NY, Craftsmanship in a Changing World, September 20 – November 4. Catalogue

1957

Museum of Contemporary Crafts, New York, NY, Wall Hangings and Rugs, April 12 – May 12. Brochure

1962

Museum of Contemporary Crafts, New York, NY, Collaboration: Artist and Architect, March 16 – May 13. Catalogue San Francisco Museum of Art, San Francisco, CA, 81st Annual Painting Exhibition of the San Francisco Art Institute, April 20 – May 20. Catalogue

M. H. de Young Memorial Museum, San Francisco, CA, 9th Annual Art Directors Exhibition of Advertising Art, May 25 – June 16. Brochure

Musée Cantonal des Beaux-Arts, Lausanne, Switzerland, 1ère Bienale Internationale de la Tapisserie, June 16 – September 17. Catalogue

St. Regis Church, Holy Name Parish, Birmingham, MI, National Religious Art Exhibition, October 4 – 30. Brochure

Tacoma Art League Summer Festival, Tacoma, WA, Paintings, Sculpture and Crafts of Pacific Coast Artists, July 22. Catalogue

Museum of Contemporary Crafts, New York, NY, The Patron Church, October 11, 1957 – January 5, 1958. Catalogue 1958

Museum of Contemporary Crafts, New York, NY 1959

California Council, American Institute of Architects Convention, Monterey, CA, Fine Arts for Architecture, October 4 – 6

Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, Dallas, TX, Religious Art of the Western World, March 23 – May 25. Catalogue American Federation of Arts Traveling Exhibition, God and Man in Art, March 1958 – March 1959. Catalogue San Francisco Museum of Art, San Francisco, CA, 78th Annual Painting and Sculpture Exhibition of the San Francisco Art Association, April 2 – May 3. Catalogue

California Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco, CA, Fourth Winter Invitational Exhibition, December 15, 1962 – January 27, 1963. Catalogue 1963

1964

1961

Museum of Contemporary Crafts, New York, NY, Collector: Object/ Environment, June 4 – September 12. Catalogue Musée Cantonal des Beaux-Arts, Lausanne, Switzerland, 2ème Bienale Internationale de la Tapisserie, June 18 – September 26. Catalogue San Francisco Museum of Art, San Francisco, CA, 84th Annual Exhibition of the San Francisco Art Institute, August 13 – September 12. Catalogue

Grace Episcopal Church, San Francisco, CA, Trinity 1960: Church Art Today California Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco, CA, A Selection of Works Purchased by the Art Commission from San Francisco’s Annual Art Festivals, 1946–1959, April 21 – May 23. Brochure

San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA, 5 Bay Area Artists, February 11 – March 1 San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA, Vistas. Travel

San Francisco Museum of Art, San Francisco, CA, Two Buildings: San Francisco 1959, August 21–September 20. Travel to Portland Art Museum, OR, October 6 – November 1. Catalogue 1960

Pasadena Art Museum, Pasadena, CA, California Design

City Art Museum of St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, Religious Art 1966

San Francisco Museum of Art, San Francisco, CA, 24th Annual Drawing, Print, and Sculpture Exhibition of the San Francisco Art Association, February 2 – March 5. Catalogue

E. B. Crocker Gallery, Sacramento, CA, Newman Guild 1966 Religious Art Invitational, February 26 – March 27. Catalogue Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, MI, The 5th Biennial National Religious Art Exhibition, October 7 – 30. Catalogue

Stanford University, Stanford, CA, Fresh Paint

Norfolk Museum, Norfolk, VA, 400 Years of Tapestry

Otis Art Institute, Los Angeles, CA, Contemporary Tapestries, April 27 – June 11. Catalogue

Pasadena Museum of Art, Pasadena, CA, California Design 1969

Richmond Art Center, Richmond, CA, 16th Painting Annual 1969. Brochure

San Francisco Museum of Art, San Francisco, CA, American Business and the Arts, September 14 – October 15. Catalogue

1970

E. B. Crocker Art Gallery, Sacramento, CA, West Coast ‘70: Painters & Sculptors, September 19 – October 25. Catalogue

San Francisco Museum of Art, San Francisco, CA, 25th Annual Drawing, Print, and Sculpture Exhibition of the San Francisco Art Association, October 21 – November 19. Catalogue

1976

California Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco, CA, Five Centuries of Tapestry Allrich Gallery, San Francisco, CA, The Modern Aubusson Tapestry, February 14 – March 18

169

California State University, Hayward, CA, Fiber and Clay 1977

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA, American Realism: Twentieth Century Drawings and Watercolors, November 7, 1985 – January 12, 1986. Travel. Catalogue

Smith Andersen Gallery, Palo Alto, CA, Mark Adams, Gordon Cook, Beth Van Hoesen—Work on Paper, April 29 – June 8 Fine Arts Gallery of San Diego, San Diego, CA, Invitational American Drawing Exhibition, September 17 – October 30. Catalogue

1986

San Francisco International Airport, San Francisco, CA, Airport Cafe: An Exhibition About Food and Art, April 14 – July 21. Catalogue

San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose, CA, Contemporary Tapestries 1978

Allrich Gallery, San Francisco, CA, Contemporary Tapestries

1979

Transamerica Pyramid, San Francisco, CA, Tapestries: 15th–20th Centuries, July 25 –September 10

1980

Art Gallery, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND, Water Works, March 17 – April 11

1981

Art Gallery, California State University, Hayward, and California State College, Long Beach, CA, Drawings from the Figure

1982

Crossman Gallery, University of Wisconsin, Whitewater, WI, New American Graphics II, September 20 – October 15. Travel through 1984 by the Art Museum Association of America. Catalogue

1983

Cheney Cowles Memorial Art Museum, Spokane, WA, Tapestry— Contemporary Imagery/Ancient Tradition: United States, United Kingdom and Canada, August 26 – October 5. Travel through the U.S. and Canada. Catalogue San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego, CA, The Golden Land, November 22, 1986 – January 18, 1977 1987

Shasta College, Redding, CA, Watercolors, August 31 – November 9

Glastonbury Gallery, San Francisco, CA, A Selection of Contemporary Drawings, February 17 – March 31

The Oakland Museum, Oakland, CA, The Artists of California: A Group Portrait in Mixed Media, November 14, 1987 – January 10, 1988. Travel. Brochure 1988

De Saisset Museum, University of Santa Clara, Santa Clara, CA, Bon a Tirer— Fine Arts Presses of the Bay Area, September 27 – December 11 1984

Northern Arizona University Art Gallery, Flagstaff, AZ, Images in Contemporary Tapestry ‘88, March 24 – April 22

Richard L. Nelson Gallery, University of California, Davis, CA, Painters at U.C. Davis: Part II, February 26 – March 30. Catalogue

Steven Wirtz Gallery, San Francisco, CA, Flo Allen: A Model for a Generation, August 18 – September 5

San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose, CA, Recent Acquisitions

Scheuer Tapestry Gallery, New York, NY, Tapestries with a Floral Theme, September 7 – October 15

Orr’s Gallery, San Diego, CA, Contemporary American Realists, November 19, 1984 – January 19, 1985

Jane Haslem Salon, Washington, DC, Consonance, September 11 – October 22. Catalogue

Glastonbury Gallery, San Francisco, CA, The Small Press Phenomenon: Work from Eighteen Bay Area Fine Art Presses, March 19 – April 18

Sacred Heart Schools, Menlo Park, CA, Angels, December 6, 1988 – January 30, 1989

William Sawyer Gallery, San Francisco, CA, American Realism: Seventy-five Contemporary Artists, November 5 – December 21

170

Santa Rosa Junior College, Santa Rosa, CA, National Invitational Drawing Exhibition, February 4 – March 3 Allport Gallery, San Francisco, CA, Still Life ‘88, March 15 – April 16

De Saisset Museum, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA, The Art of Connoisseurship and the Print

1985

Palo Alto Cultural Center, Palo Alto, CA, Master Exhibition Series, June 7 – August 2 Achenbach Foundatiot n for the Graphic Arts, Legion of Honor, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, Recent Acquisitions of the Achenbach Foundation for the Graphic Arts, Part Two: 1950 – 1986, Summer

Charles Campbell Gallery, San Francisco, CA, Figure Drawings: Five San Francisco Artists, January 5 – February 12. Catalogue

Monterey Peninsula Museum of Art, Monterey, CA, California Contemporary: Recent Work of 23 Artists, May 1 – 29. Catalogue

Charles Campbell Gallery, San Francisco, CA, Life Drawing–1980s: Seven San Francisco Artists, January 7 – February 1. Catalogue

1989

University of Maryland, College Park, MD, American Tapestry: Weaving Since the 1930s and Its European Roots, March 31 – April 1

University Art Museum, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, Arizona Celebrates, April 2 – September 10. Brochure 1990

1991

John Berggruen Gallery, San Francisco, CA, Structures: Buildings in American Art, 1900 – 1997

Jane Haslem Salon, Washington, DC

Friesen Gallery, Sun Valley, ID, Second Annual Collaboration

Krasl Art Center, St. Joseph, MI, Flowers in Art, June 27 – August 5. Catalogue

San Francisco State University Art Gallery, San Francisco, CA, The Fabric of Life: 150 Years of Northern California Fiber Art History, September – October. Catalogue

Oliver Art Center, California College of Arts & Crafts, Oakland, CA, Contemporary Realist Painting: Perception and Experience, May 30 – July 21

1998

Jane Haslem Salon, Washington, DC, Summer: Cool of the Shade, July – August

Art Gallery, Modesto Junior College, Modesto, CA, Related: An Exhibition of Artist Couples, August 27 – September 25

1999

Mendocino Art Center, Mendocino, CA, Prints from made in California, February

John Berggruen Gallery, San Francisco, CA, Small Format Works on Paper, June 26 – August 3

2004

b. sakata garo, Sacramento, CA, Made in California Intaglio Editions: 24 Years of Prints, February – April 3

Salem Art Association, Salem, OR, The Art of the Tapestry

2007

International Center for the Arts, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA, Pacific Light: California Watercolor Refracted, 1907 – 2007

Jane Haslem Salon, Washington, DC, American Self-Portraits in Prints

Jane Haslem Salon, Washington, DC, Awash in Color 1992

1997

I. Wolk Gallery, St. Helena, CA, Works from the John Berggruen Gallery, June 27 – July 24 Palo Alto Cultural Center, Palo Alto, CA, Directions in Bay Area Printmaking: 3 Decades, September 20, 1992 – January 3, 1993. Catalogue Ewing Gallery of Art and Architecture, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, The Intimate Collaboration: Prints from Teaberry Press. Travel. Catalogue Modesto Junior College Art Gallery, Modesto, CA, October – November John Berggruen Gallery, San Francisco, CA, Objects of Affection: Paintings, Sculpture, Works on Paper, December 8, 1992 – January 2, 1993

1993

Edith Caldwell Gallery, San Francisco, CA, Artists’ Self-Portraits in Black & White, May 5 – 29 Gerald Peters Gallery, Santa Fe, NM, Still Life 1963 – 1993, August 6 – September 12. Catalogue

1994

Friesen Gallery, Seattle, WA, Twenty-Six Artists: A Selection of Works from John Berggruen Gallery, San Francisco, February 8 – March 20

1995

John Berggruen Gallery, San Francisco, CA, Objects of Desire John Berggruen Gallery, San Francisco, CA, XXV Years

1996

John Berggruen Gallery, San Francisco, CA, The Robert Arneson Tribute Exhibition Friesen Gallery, Sun Valley, ID, A Collaboration

171

Bibliography

Book s

C atalogue s

Albright, Thomas. Art in the San Francisco Bay Area, 1945 – 1980. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1985. Blumenau, Lili. Creative Design in Wall Hangings. New York, NY: Crown Publishers, 1967. Fiber Art Editors. The Fiber Arts Design Book. New York, NY: Hastings House Publishers, 1980. Hill, Jill, Robert Hill, and Hal Halberstadt. Stained Glass: Music for the Eye. San Francisco, CA: Scrimshaw Press, 1976. Jarry, Madeleine. World Tapestry. New York, NY: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1969. Jobe, Joseph, ed. Great Tapestries. Lausanne, Switzerland: Edita, S.A., 1965. LeClair, Charles. The Art of the Watercolor. Revised edition. New York, NY: WatsonGuptill Publishers, 1994. Illus. p. 27. Mallorca, Jacqueline. The Perfect Dinner: Fine Food Cooked with Foil. San Francisco, CA: Fair Oaks Press, 1999. Cover illus. Martin, Alvin. American Realism: Twentieth-Century Drawings and Watercolors From the Glenn C. Janss Collection. New York, NY: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1985. Mendelowitz, Daniel M. Drawing. New York, NY: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., 1967. _____. A History of American Art. New York, NY: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., 1970. _____. A Guide to Drawing. New York, NY: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., 1976. Mills, Paul, Robert Flynn Johnson, et al. Mark Adams. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books and John Berggruen Gallery, 1985. Quiller, Stephen, and Barbara Whipple. Water Media: Processes and Possibilities. New York, NY: Watson-Guptill Publishers, 1986. Rigan, Otto B. New Glass. San Francisco, CA: San Francisco Book Co., 1976. Illus. pp. 52-53. Wakeham, Duane A. Mendelowitz’s Guide to Drawing. New York, NY: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., 1982. Warshaw, Steven. The City of Gold. San Francisco, CA: Crown Zellerbach Corporation, 1960. Cover illus.

Art Museum Association of America. New American Graphics II. New York, NY: Art Museum Association of America, 1982. Arthur, John. Still Life 1963 – 1993. Santa Fe, NM: Gerald Peters Gallery, 1993. Illus. p. 11. Barlow, Jarvis (Foreword). Contemporary Tapestries. Los Angeles, CA: Otis Art Institute, 1961. Bartlett, C. Julian. Cathedral News: Trinity 1960, Church Art Today. San Francisco, CA: Grace Episcopal Cathedral, 1960. Berger, Réné (Introduction). 2eme Bienale Internationale de la Tapisserie. Lausanne, Switzerland: Musée Cantonal des Beaux-Arts, 1964. Bloom, John, and Mark Levy. Facets of the Collection. San Francisco, CA: Pacific Telesis Group, 1988. Illus. p. 13. Brown, Theophilus (Introduction). Life Drawing–1980s: Seven San Francisco Artists. San Francisco, CA: Charles Campbell Gallery, 1986. Bywaters, Jerry (Foreword). Religious Art of the Western World. Dallas, TX: Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, 1958. Clausen, Valerie (Foreword). Tapestry—Contemporary Imagery/Ancient Tradition: United States, United Kingdom and Canada. Spokane, WA: Cheney Cowles Memorial Art Museum, 1986. E. B. Crocker Art Gallery. West Coast ‘70: Painters & Sculptors. Sacramento, CA: E. B. Crocker Art Gallery, 1970. Illus. Crockett, Candace, and Mark Johnson. The Fabric of Life: 150 Years of Northern California Fiber Art History. San Francisco, CA: San Francisco State University, 1997. Cranbrook Academy of Art. The 5th Biennial National Religious Art Exhibition. Bloomfield Hills, MI: Cranbrook Academy of Art, 1966. Culler, George D. 78th Annual Painting and Sculpture Exhibition of the San Francisco Art Association. San Francisco, CA: San Francisco Museum of Art, 1959. _____ (Introduction). American Business and the Arts. San Francisco, CA: San Francisco Museum of Art, 1959.

opposite: 48. Near Pescadero, 1985

173

_____. 24th Annual Drawing, Print, and Sculpture Exhibition of the San Francisco Art Association. San Francisco, CA: San Francisco Museum of Art, 1961. _____. 81st Annual Painting Exhibition of the San Francisco Art Institute. San Francisco, CA: San Francisco Museum of Art, 1962. Davis, Darwin R. (Foreword), and Wendy PasarelliCleworth (Introduction). Flowers in Art. St. Joseph, MI: Krasl Art Center, 1990. Elsner, William H. Mark Adams. San Francisco, CA: California Palace of the Legion of Honor, 1970. Fine Arts Gallery of San Diego. Invitational American Drawing Exhibition. San Diego, CA: Fine Arts Gallery of San Diego, 1977. Halverson, Marvin P. God and Man in Art. New York, NY: American Federation of Arts, 1958. Heil, Walter. Exhibition of Contemporary Religious Art by California Artists. San Francisco, CA: M. H. de Young Memorial Museum, 1952. Hopkins, Henry T. Mark Adams: Recent Watercolors. San Francisco, CA: John Berggruen Gallery, 1980. Jane Haslem Salon. Consonance. Washington, DC: Jane Haslem Salon, 1988. Laurer, Robert A. (Introduction). The Patron Church. New York, NY: Museum of Contemporary Crafts, 1957. Lipowicz, Edward W. (Introduction). Catalogue of the Permanent Collection of the Canajoharie Library and Art Gallery. Canajoharie, NY: Canajoharie Library and Art Gallery, n.d. Illus. p. 218. Lurçat, Jean. 1er Bienale Internationale de la Tapisserie. Lausanne, Switzerland: Musée Cantonal des BeauxArts, 1962. Mayfield, Signe. Directions in Bay Area Printmaking: Three Decades. Palo Alto, CA: Palo Alto Cultural Center, 1992. Monterey Peninsula Museum of Art. California Contemporary: Recent Work of 23 Artists. Monterey, CA: Monterey Peninsula Museum of Art, 1983.

174

Morley, Grace L. McCann (Foreword). 18th Annual Drawing and Print Exhibition of the San Francisco Art Association. San Francisco, CA: San Francisco Museum of Art, 1954. Museum of Contemporary Crafts. Craftsmanship in a Changing World. New York, NY: Museum of Contemporary Crafts, 1956. _____. Collaboration: Artist and Architect. New York, NY: Museum of Contemporary Crafts, 1962. _____. Collector: Object/Environment. New York, NY: Museum of Contemporary Crafts, 1965. Price, Lorna, et al. Mark Adams: A Way with Color. San Francisco, CA: John Berggruen Gallery, 1996. Quinn, Patrick (Introduction). Newman Guild 1966 Religious Arts Invitational. Sacramento, CA: E. B. Crocker Art Gallery, 1966. Read, Tatum Webb (Introduction). Mark Adams. San Francisco, CA: John Berggruen Gallery, 2007. Richard L. Nelson Gallery. Painters at UC Davis. Davis, CA: Richard L. Nelson Gallery, University of California, 1984. Illus. San Francisco International Airport. Airport Cafe: An Exhibition About Food and Art. San Francisco, CA: San Francisco International Airport, 1986. San Francisco Museum of Art. 84th Annual Exhibition of the San Francisco Art Institute. San Francisco, CA: San Francisco Museum of Art, 1964. San Francisco State University Art Gallery. The Fabric of Life: 150 Years of Northern California Fiber Art History. San Francisco, CA: San Francisco State University Art Gallery, 1997. Smith, Howard Ross. Fourth Winter Invitational Exhibition. San Francisco, CA: California Palace of the Legion of Honor, 1962. Tacoma Art League. Second Summer Festival: Paintings, Sculptures & Crafts of Pacific Coast Artists. Tacoma, WA: Tacoma Art League, 1962.

Temko, Allen. Two Buildings: San Francisco 1959. San Francisco, CA: San Francisco Museum of Art, 1959. Illus. Thiebaud, Wayne. Figure Drawings: Five San Francisco Artists. San Francisco, CA: Charles Campbell Gallery, 1983. Yates, Sam, and Timothy Berry. The Intimate Collaboration: Prints from Teaberry Press. Knoxville, TN: Ewing Gallery of Art and Architecture, University of Tennessee, 1992.

Brochure s California Palace of the Legion of Honor. Mark Adams. San Francisco, CA: California Palace of the Legion of Honor, 1961. Ed Hill Editions. Glass of Water by Mark Adams. El Paso, TX: Ed Hill Editions, 1981. Fountain Gallery. Mark Adams: An Exhibition of Tapestries. Portland, OR: Fountain Gallery, 1970. French & Company. Tapestries by Mark Adams. New York, NY: French & Company, 1964. Goldyne, Joseph. Mark Adams: Translation of Light. Ames, IA: Brunnier Art Museum, Iowa State University, 2010. Holy Name Parish. National Religious Art Exhibition. Birmingham, MI: Holy Name Parish, 1957. M. H. de Young Memorial Museum. 9th Annual Art Directors Exhibition of Advertising Art. San Francisco, CA: M. H. de Young Memorial Museum, 1957. _____. Tapestries by Mark Adams. San Francisco, CA: M. H. de Young Memorial Museum, 1959. Museum of Contemporary Crafts. Wall Hangings and Rugs. New York, NY: Museum of Contemporary Crafts, 1957. The Oakland Museum. The Artists of California: A Group Portrait in Mixed Media. Oakland, CA: The Oakland Museum, 1987.

Portland Art Museum. Tapestries: Mark Adams. Portland, OR: Portland Art Museum, 1961. Richmond Art Center. 16th Painting Annual 1969. Richmond, CA: Richmond Art Center, 1969. Schlesinger, Ruth. Mark Adams: Prints and Watercolors. San Francisco, CA: Hastings Gallery of Art, Hastings College of the Law, University of California, San Francisco, 1983. University Art Museum, Arizona State University. Arizona Celebrates. Tempe, AZ: University Art Museum, Arizona State University, 1989. Weyerhauser Company. The Artists. San Francisco, CA: Weyerhauser Company, 1971. White, Ian McKibbon, and Dyana Chadwick. Mark Adams: A Retrospective. Palo Alto, CA: Palo Alto Cultural Center, 1990. Zellerbach, Harold L. A Selection of Works Purchased by the Art Commission from San Francisco’s Annual Art Festivals, 1946 – 1959. San Francisco, CA: San Francisco Art Commission, 1960.

Article s Albright, Thomas. “Art Plays Second Fiddle in New Bank Building.” San Francisco Chronicle, Mar. 15, 1969, p. 3. _____. “Superb Tapestry Designer.” San Francisco Chronicle, Feb. 26, 1970. _____. “Glorious Tapestry Show—Bold Designs, Colors.” San Francisco Chronicle, Mar. 31, 1970, p. 40. _____. “Three Artists Who Challenge Convention.” San Francisco Chronicle, Apr. 30, 1980. Illus. “Art and Public Buildings: Prelude to a New Tradition.” Architectural Record, Jan. 1957, p. 48-1. Illus. “Art Notes.” Star Telegram (Ft. Worth, TX), Mar. 22, 1981. “Artist and Tapestry.” Interior Design, June 1964, pp. 120 – 21. Blanc, Pierrette. “Ouverture dans le local du Palais de Rumine à Lausanne de la première Biennale internationale de la Tapisserie.” Tribune de Lausanne (Switzerland), June 16, 1962. Illus.

Bloomfield, Arthur. “Pictures that seem to define beauty.” San Francisco Examiner, Oct. 10, 1978, p. 20. Illus. Calden, Mary. “Tell me a painting: Textured Poetry.” The Sun, Oct. 22, 1976, p. 10. Illus. “Carmel Baptistry Dedication Sunday.” Monterey Peninsula Herald, Aug. 31, 1968. “Configurations in a Landscape.” Interiors, Mar. 1972, pp. 76 – 91. Illus. “Corporate Art Collectors, The.” Investor’s Reader, May 24, 1967, p. 2. “Craft Objects at Home.” House Beautiful, Oct. 1965, pp. 238 – 42. Cross, Miriam Dungan. “Adams Retrospective at Legion.” Oakland Tribune, Mar. 8, 1970, p. 26-EN. Curtis, Cathy. “Intimate Realism—Minor League.” Artweek, May 10, 1980, p. 5. Illus. “Drawings from the Figure.” Bulletin of the Oakland Museum of California, Oct. 1981, pp. 18 – 22. Drewes, Caroline. “Flavorsome Life in a Firehouse.” S.F. Sunday Examiner & Chronicle, Oct. 2, 1966. Illus. Dunn, Bernice. “Adams Designed St. John’s Tapestry.” Napa Register, Mar. 25, 1967, p. 4A. “Editors’ Page.” Craft Horizons, May – June 1957. Illus. “Fairmont Hotel Company Commission New Tapestry for Dallas.” Daily Commercial Record, Inc., Apr. 7, 1981. Illus. “Fairmont to Unveil Tapestry.” Dallas Morning News, March 19, 1981. Foucault, Michael. “‘The Fabric of Life’ at SF State University.” Artweek, Nov. 1997, p. 19. Illus. Frankenstein, Alfred. “The Art of East & West.” San Francisco Chronicle, Nov. 14, 1954, Pictorial Review. _____. “Art Festival Prize Announced.” San Francisco Chronicle, n.d., 1956. _____. “Two Big Art Works of Civic Importance.” San Francisco Chronicle, July 15, 1957. _____. “At the de Young—The Poets and the Monumentalists.” S.F. Sunday Examiner & Chronicle, Apr. 5, 1959, This World, p. 18. Illus.

_____. “Modern Art and the Corporate Image.” S.F. Sunday Examiner & Chronicle, Sept. 24, 1961, This World, pp. 35 – 36. _____. “Tapestry Show at the Hansen.” San Francisco Chronicle, Nov. 1968. _____. “For the BART Stationing of Art.” S.F. Sunday Examiner & Chronicle, Sept. 12, 1971, This World, pp. 33 – 34. _____. “Art Festival Retrospective.” San Francisco Chronicle, June 26, 1974. _____. “From the Ancient to the Modern.” San Francisco Chronicle, Feb. 23, 1978, p. 52. _____. “Superb Satire at Stanford.” San Francisco Chronicle, Mar. 2, 1978. _____. “‘Formations’ and Photos Around Town.” San Francisco Chronicle, Oct. 14, 1978. Illus. _____. “The Art on the City’s Buildings.” S.F. Sunday Examiner & Chronicle, Feb. 27, 1982, pp. 31, 33. Illus. Fried, Alexander. “Art Commission Proves a Point.” San Francisco Examiner, n.d., 1957. _____. “At the de Young—The Poets and the Monumentalists.” San Francisco Examiner, Apr. 5, 1959, “Sunday Pictorial Review,” p. 21. Illus. _____. “An Artist’s Version of Weather Report.” San Francisco Examiner, Nov. 22, 1968, p. 31. _____. “From the Museum to an Employee’s Lounge.” San Francisco Examiner, Mar. 13, 1971, p. 9. Illus. _____. “Temple’s ‘Window of Water.’” San Francisco Examiner, Aug. 14, 1973. “Gallery featuring watercolor drawings.” Palo Alto Times (Palo Alto, CA), May 12, 1977, p. 17. “Great Tapestries—And a Light in the Basement.” S.F. Sunday Examiner & Chronicle, Oct. 15, 1961, This World, p. 22. Illus. Green, Blake. “An Artist’s Model Looks Back.” San Francisco Chronicle, June 6, 1980, p. 28. Hamlin, Jesse. “Mark Adams—S.F. artist known for tapestries.” San Francisco Chronicle, Jan. 28, 2006.

175

“Happy Return of Mark Adams, The.” S.F. Sunday Examiner & Chronicle, Feb. 15, 1970, California Living, pp. 22 – 23. Illus. “Hartford Plaza and Old St. Mary’s Rectory.” Architectural Record, May 1967, pp. 131 – 38. Hayakawa, Alan. “Three shows in SF lure art lovers.” Portland Oregonian Journal, Dec. 25, 1982. Hodel, Emilia. “At Home in Inner Space for Artists.” S.F. News Call-Bulletin (San Francisco), Nov. 2, 1961. “In the Local Galleries.” S.F. Sunday Examiner & Chronicle, Apr. 5, 1970, This World. “John Berggruen Gallery.” Travel & Leisure, Mar. 1981. Johnson, Beverly E. “California Design 8.” Los Angeles Times, Mar. 25, 1962, Home, pp. 12 – 14. Jones, Carolyn. “Putting the art in BART—Mosaics, murals and steel cows brighten up stations from SFO to Orinda.” San Francisco Chronicle, Nov. 15, 2002. Kates, Marcy. “Slow and Chilly Happening on Grove.” San Francisco Chronicle, Sept. 8, 1975, p. 2. Kellogg, Cynthia. “Trend in Interiors: Bolder and Bigger.” New York Times, Sept. 22, 1957, sec. 6, part 2, pp. 11 – 12. Illus. Kietzmann, Dr. Armin. “Art: Adams Spurs Tapestry Revival.” San Diego Union, n.d., 1958. Lagorio, Irene. “Mark Adams Exhibiting in Monterey: Paints with Realism, Visual Accuracy.” Sunday Peninsula Herald (Monterey, CA), Apr. 7, 1985, p. 6D. Levy, Jacques. “SR Library Tapestry Exhibit Stirs Interest.” Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, CA), Dec. 10, 1967, p. 11A. MacMasters, Dan. “In the Land of Lonely Houses.” Los Angeles Times, May 25, 1979, Home, pp. 14 – 17. Illus. “Man at the Top of the Mark, The.” Architectural Digest, vol. 30, no. 4, Jan./Feb. 1974, pp. 22 – 27. “Mark Adams.” Craft Horizons, vol. 16, no. 5, Sept./Oct. 1956. Illus. “Mark Adams.” Designers West, Apr. 1971, pp. 20 – 21. Illus.

176

“Mark Adams.” Interiors, Mar. 1972. “Mark Adams.” Vogue (Australia), Feb.1974. “Mark Adams: Drawing.” Artweek, vol. 3, no. 6, Feb. 5, 1972, p. 2. Illus. “Mark Adams Paintings on Exhibit at Library.” Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, CA), Nov. 1967. Marlowe, John. “San Francisco.” Westart, Feb. 25, 1983, p. 2. Marvel, Bill. “Splashy Tapestry Finds a Home in Hotel Lobby.” Dallas Times Herald, Mar. 26, 1981. Illus. McDevitt, Lorelei Heather. “Perfecting the Visual Impact.” Designers West, Mar. 1982, pp. 150-153. Illus. Morch, Albert. “Engine 44.” Home Furnishings Daily, Nov. 11, 1966. _____. “Artist Adams Makes his Mark.” San Francisco Examiner, Feb. 20, 1970, p. 25. _____. “The old words are back in art.” San Francisco Examiner, Apr. 21, 1980, p. 26. Illus. _____. “5 artists drawn together.” San Francisco Examiner, Jan. 10, 1983, p. B14. “Napa Valley’s Newest Church to be Dedicated Sunday.” The Monitor, Jan. 26, 1967 “New Art for Fairmont.” Key (Dallas, TX), May 1981. “On the Cover.” Nob Hill Gazette (San Francisco, CA), vol. 16, no. 8, Aug. 1994, Cover illus. & p. 4. Park Cities News (Dallas, TX), Apr. 9. 1981. Illus. Platt, Susan. “Artists Who Draw.” Artweek, Jan. 29, 1983, p. 5. Polley, E. M. “S.F. Museum Shows Brilliant Tapestries.” Vallejo Times-Herald, Oct. 8, 1961, p. 28. Illus. _____. “Benicia Has Stained Glass Studio.” Vallejo Times-Herald, Mar. 1, 1970, p. W8. _____. “Record Crowd Pays Tribute to Adams at Tapestry Exhibit.” Vallejo Times-Herald, Mar. 1, 1970. Preston, Stuart. “Art: Post-Easter Shows Fill Galleries.” New York Times, April 4, 1964, p. 24. “Resurrection, The.” Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, CA), Dec. 14, 1967, p. 28.

(Review.). Print Collectors’ Quarterly, Jan./Feb. 1985. Rigan, Otto. “Glass & Light: A Perfect Marriage.” Los Angeles Times, April 10, 1977, Home, pp. 8 – 9. Illus. Robbeloth, DeWitt. “Modern Master of Medieval Media.” Artweek, Feb. 21, 1970, p. 2. Illus. Sarraille, Carolyn. “Glass Art: A Visual Symphony.” Hudson Home Guide Home Improvement, June 1978, p. 87. Illus. Schenck, Marvin A. “Prints from made in California.” A&E (Mendocino, CA), Jan. – Feb. 1999, p. 6. Schlesinger, Ellen. “Mixing New Ideas, Personal Vision and Humor in Art.” Sacramento Bee, Jan. 1984. “S.F. Couple Will Show Art Works.” San Francisco Chronicle, Dec. 1957. “S.F. Library Board Spurns Prize Art.” San Francisco Chronicle, Dec. 22, 1956, pp. 1, 4. Illus. Shere, Charles. “Artists’ selves shine through in drawing.” Oakland Tribune, Jan. 20, 1983. Illus. Slivka, Rose. “The American Craftsman/64.” Craft Horizons, vol. 24, no. 3, May/June 1964. Illus. “SOTA Deadline.” San Francisco Independent, Apr. 3, 1990. “Special Event.” Contra Costa Times, Jan. 29, 1983, Time Out, p. 38. Illus. Starkey, Robert. “Mark Adams, 1925 – 2006: An Appreciation of an Artist and Friend.” Flash Point Magazine (flashpointmagazine.com), n.d. Steinberg, Steven. “Mark Adams: Ordinary Elevated to Extraordinary.” Southwest Art, Apr. 1985, p. 56. Illus. _____. “Famed Artist Mark Adams Leaves Behind a Rich Tapestry of Color and Glass.” Noe Valley Voice (San Francisco), Mar. 2006. Sussman, Diane. “Imprinted in our History.” Palo Alto Weekly, Oct. 21, 1992. Tanenbaum, Ruth. “French Tapestry Weaving in San Francisco.” Shuttle, Spindle & Dyepot, Summer 1977, p. 12.

“Tapestry Rose.” Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, CA), June 12, 1969. Illus. “Tapestry Showing Set.” San Mateo Times, Mar. 25, 1959. “Texture and Color to Warm a Building.” Marin Magazine (San Rafael, CA), Apr. 7, 1973. Cover illus. “They Say it Isn’t Art: Old U.S. Law Rules Out Tapestry as Work of Art.” San Francisco News, July 3, 1957, pp. 1, 3. Thompson, Elisabeth. “Art & Public Buildings: Prelude to a New Tradition.” Architectural Record, Jan. 1957, p. 48. “Today in Dallas.” Dallas Morning News, Mar. 20, 1981. “Toward a New Spirit of Christmas.” S.F. Sunday Examiner & Chronicle, Dec. 25, 1966, California Living. Cover illus. Walker, Dorothy. “S.F. Library Board Chided over Tapestry Decision.” San Francisco News, Jan. 15, 1957. Illus. _____. “Many Months, Miles from Butcher Paper to Tapestry” San Francisco News, Mar. 28, 1959, p. 11T. Illus. Ward, Charles. “Ward’s Awards.” Dallas Morning News, Mar. 29, 1981. _____. “Ward’s Awards.” The Intowner (Supplement of the Dallas Times Herald), Apr. 5, 1981. Weaver, Gay M. “Adams Tapestries both realistic, abstract.” Palo Alto Times (Palo Alto, CA), Feb. 4, 1972. Illus. _____. “Personal touches to common images.” Palo Alto Times (Palo Alto, CA), May 1977. Illus. Weeks, H. J. “Quietly Elegant Exhibition of 3 Art Colleagues’ Works.” San Jose Mercury, June 3, 1977. Illus. Weeks, Jeanne. “Great Craft Collections.” Interiors, vol. 124, no. 12, July 1965, pp. 78 – 84. Weisser, Peter. “Religious Art Wins a Battle.” Sacramento Bee, Mar. 6, 1966, p. L24. Illus. “Windows for a Temple.” San Francisco Chronicle, June 17, 1972. Wise, Nancy. “Threads of History.” American Way, vol. 14, no. 5, May 1981, pp. 54 – 59. Illus.

Wollenberg, Jackie. “Mark Adams, 1925 – 2006.” ATA Tapestry Topics (American Tapestry Alliance, americantapestryalliance.org), vol. 33, no. 1, Spring 2007. Illus. Yuna, Joelle. “Van Hoesen/Adams.” WestArt, Aug. 3, 1973. Illus. Zakariasen, William. “Temple’s 8000-Piece Stained Glass Window.” San Francisco Examiner, June 22, 1972.

177

Commissions

All Saints’ Episcopal Parish, Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA. Baptistry windows, 1967 Bank of California, San Francisco, CA. Tapestry, Man Flying, 1968 Bank of California, San Francisco, CA. Tapestry, Map, 1968 Bank of California, San Francisco, CA. Tapestry, Three Continents I, 1968 Bank of California, San Francisco, CA. Tapestry, Three Continents II, 1968 Bay Area Rapid Transit, Oakland, CA. Glass mosaic, MacArthur Station, 1969 Bay Area Rapid Transit, Oakland, CA. Two murals, MacArthur Station, 2002 – 2003 Clarendon School, San Francisco, CA. Stained glass, 1960 Commerce Clearing House, Terra Linda, CA. Tapestry, Vines, 1971 Crown Zellerbach Company, San Francisco, CA. Mural for company headquarters, San Francisco, 1959 E. & J. Gallo Winery, Modesto, CA. Tapestry, Sauvignon Blanc, 1980 Fairmont Hotel, Dallas, TX. Tapestry for main lobby, In Celebration of Cabeza de Vaca, 1980 Frances Mihailoff Interiors, San Francisco, CA. Tapestry, Unicorn, 1957 Golden Gateway Center, San Francisco, CA. Glass mosaic, Shooting Star, 1964 Grace Episcopal Cathedral, San Francisco, CA. Stained glass window, Joshua, 1977 Hearts of San Francisco program for San Francisco General Hospital, San Francisco, CA. Painted sculpture, 2004 Lafayette-Orinda United Presbyterian Church, Lafayette, CA. Windows, Creation, Covenant, Incarnation, Resurrection, 1966 Lutheran Brotherhood, Minneapolis, MN. Tapestry, Garden at the Lake, 1987 McGuire Furniture, San Francisco, CA. Tapestry, Profusion, 1965 Metropolitan Opera, New York, NY. Watercolor, Three Peaches in a Silver Bowl, 1993 Old St. Mary’s Rectory, San Francisco, CA. Dove window and painted Stations of the Cross, 1966 Pinole Valley Baptist Church, Pinole, CA. Window, Holy Spirit, 1969 Precision Instruments, Stanford Industrial Park, Stanford, CA. Leaded stained glass, Monitor, 1963 Richard and Rhoda (Haas) Goldman Mausoleum, Colma, CA. Stained glass windows, 2002 – 2003 Robinson Residence, San Francisco, CA. Window, 1964 San Francisco Art Commission, San Francisco, CA. Painting, Mounted Policemen, 1969

San Francisco Art Commission, San Francisco, CA. Tapestry for Marina Branch Library, The Phoenix and the Golden Gate, 1956 San Francisco Art Commission and San Francisco Airport Commission, San Francisco, CA. Tapestries for San Francisco International Airport, Gardens series, 1979 Santa Rosa-Sonoma Public Library, Santa Rosa, CA. Tapestry, Rose, 1968 Security Pacific Bank, San Francisco, CA. Tapestry, Lights, 1966 Security Pacific Bank, San Francisco, CA. Tapestry, Rose Buds, 1968 Skidmore, Owings & Merrill Architects, San Francisco, CA. Tapestry, Fireworks, 1960 St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church, San Francisco, CA. Exterior murals, 1963 St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church, San Francisco, CA. Tapestry, Resurrection, 1963 St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Saratoga, CA. Faceted glass windows, Creation, The Fall of Man, Gift of the Law, The Incarnation 1962 – 1966 St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Saratoga, CA. Main altar mural, 1963 St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Saratoga, CA. Doors, 1978 St. Brendan’s Catholic Church, San Francisco, CA. Mosaic for bell tower cupola, 1960 St. Cornelius Catholic Church, Richmond, CA. Window, Window with green cross, 1961 St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Napa, CA. Tapestry, St. John the Baptist, 1966 St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Napa, CA. Windows, Clerestory windows, 1966 St. Thomas More Catholic Church, San Francisco, CA. Main altar mural, Resurrection, 1967 St. Thomas More Catholic Church, San Francisco, CA. Stained glass windows, 1974 Summit Vineyard, St. Helena, CA. Mosaic for swimming pool, 1962 Temple Emanu-El, San Francisco, CA. Stained glass windows, Fire and Water, 1971 – 1974 Temple Isaiah, Lafayette, CA. Stained glass windows, 2005 University of California San Francisco Seventh Annual Founder’s Day, San Francisco, CA. Poster, 1988 Weyerhaeuser Company, Tacoma, WA. Tapestry, Douglas Fir, 1966 Weyerhaeuser Company, Tacoma, WA. Tapestry for company headquarters, Weyerhauser Tapestry, 1970 Woodside Village Church, Woodside, CA. Windows, Crucifixion, 1962 opposite: 49. Preliminary design cartoon for tapestry, c.1990

179

Selected Public Collections

Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA All Saints’ Episcopal Parish, Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA Arkell Museum, Canajoharie, NY Cantor Arts Center, Stanford University, Stanford, CA Chase Manhattan Bank, New York, NY Dallas Art Museum, Dallas, TX Fresno Art Museum, Fresno, CA Oakland Museum of California, Oakland, CA Palace of the Legion of Honor, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA Racine Art Museum, Racine, WI San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA San Francisco Public Library, San Francisco, CA San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles, San Jose, CA Stanford Libraries, Stanford University, Stanford, CA University Art Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, IA

opposite: 50. Preliminary design cartoon for tapestry, c.1990

181

This catalogue is produced in conjunction with the exhibition Mark Adams presented at the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles, California, May 15 – July 29, 2012. For their enthusiasm and support for this project, we would like to acknowledge Judy Bailey and David Van Hoesen, Trustees of the E. Mark Adams and Beth Van Hoesen Adams Trust; Mary Connors, Personal Assistant to Mark Adams and Beth Van Hoesen Adams; Carolyn Boyle, Administrator for the Trust; Christine Jeffers, Director, Deborah Corsini, Curator, and Joyce Hulbert, Collections Manager, San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles; Peter Blank, Head Librarian, Art & Architecture Library, Stanford University; and Roberto Trujillo, Head, Department of Special Collections and Francis & Charles Field Curator of Special Collections, Stanford University Libraries. The essay “Tapestries” by Paul Chadbourne Mills and the preface by Wayne Thiebaud were reprinted with permission from John Berggruen Gallery and the Trustees of the E. Mark Adams and Beth Van Hoesen Adams Trust. These texts were originally written for the catalogue Mark Adams, published by Chronicle Books, San Francisco, 1985.

Copyright © 2012 by Anne Kohs & Associates, Inc. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any other information storage and retrieval system, or otherwise without written permission from Anne Kohs & Associates, Inc. Published by the Stanford University Libraries. Library of Congress Control Number: 2012941816 ISBN: 978-0-911221-49-7 Designed by John Hubbard / emks, Finland. Typeset by emks, Finland. The typeface used in this book is Impara, designed in 2010 by Dieter Hofrichter / Hoftype.

Color and print management by Gary Hawkey, John Bailey, and Kim Christiansen at iocolor, LLP, Seattle, Washington.

Mark Adams’s papers and artwork (M1747) are in the Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, California.

Printed and bound by Artron Color Printing Company, China.

Photography of artwork, unless otherwise noted, is by M. Lee Fatherree, Oakland, California. Information regarding the tapestries was researched and documented by Kendra Armer. The visual database and digital images of Mark Adams’s artwork were organized by Pam Rino Evans. Mark Adams’s biography, bibliography, commissions, and public collections were researched and documented by Diane Roby. Edited by Kendra Armer, Pam Rino Evans, Lorna Price, and Diane Roby. Mark Adams’s artwork is represented by John Berggruen Gallery, San Francisco, California. Catalogue concept, research, and project coordination by Anne Kohs & Associates, Inc., Portola Valley, California. www.artistsforum.com

00 Mark Adams CRT ends [18 May].indd 6

6/19/12 3:08 PM

00 Mark Adams CRT ends [18 May].indd 7

6/19/12 3:08 PM

00 Mark Adams CRT ends [18 May].indd 9

6/19/12 3:08 PM

Mark Adams Catalogue Raisonné of Tapestries

Articles inside

Colophon

Selected Public Collections

Commissions

Tapestry Terms and Definitions

Mark Adams

Bibliography

Catalogue Raisonné of Tapestries

Biography

Tapestries

Works Illustrated

Catalogue Raisonné Notes