(Am. 1937 – 2023)
“Being a painter at heart and by training, I use the loom as a canvas to produce woven, wool tapestries – paintings in fiber. The weavings rely on geometric, abstract designs, of simplicity, harmony, proportion, balance, and above all, the visual music of color. Brilliant primary color itself is the subject of the artwork, where COLOR IS KING.As early as I can remember, I was drawn to art and especially color, which led me to study at the Art Institute of Chicago, from which I graduated with a major in painting, never suspecting that weaving would eventually become my medium of choice.I find the entire process enjoyable and rewarding, from designing the composition, the mandatory time it takes setting up the loom, the long solitary hours of concentration and patience as the weaving takes shape, to the thrill of discovery upon removing the finished piece from the loom.I came to weaving through the serendipity of discovering a beautiful old, barn-loom, in New Hampshire, just before moving to Maine in 1978. It opened the door to this new medium and was the beginning of a creative love affair with fiber and weaving, which has held me in its thrall for nearly four decades. I still have that old loom, now disassembled and my work is done on a treasured vertical Finish tapestry loom, around which my life and home in Maine revolve.”
In conjunction with the publication of The Tapestries of MORRIS DAVID DORENFELD, Paintings in Fiber by Christopher Brewer Williamson, Caldbeck will present a retrospective exhibition from May 1-25, 2023. The opening and book signing will be on Friday, May 5th from 5-7PM.DORENFELD 2023-Catalogue
