“Weaving has taught me patience. I am on my way to sainthood.”

-Louise Oppenheimer

In September, I joined the Nearly Wild Weaving group * for a “Scottish Road Trip”. While many memories were made on that trip, looking back I think perhaps my fondest was the visit to the studio of Louise Oppenheimer.

Louise has an ease about her that was felt from the moment we walked into the studio. Time flew by as she entertained us with stories behind her tapestries, her philosophies on life and weaving, and wonderful smiles and laughter.

Her work is wonderful, of course, so what a delight to see a wall full of tapestries!

Her studio serves not only as a space to weave but also as a very organized gallery with tapestries on display, labeled, and complete with a price list. photo credit: ©Louise Oppenheimer

I (possibly all of us) was especially taken with her drawings. A number of sketchbooks were laying about available for our perusal. I loved seeing her distinct style evolving through time. Line drawings in black with often only a bit of color added. Similar themes recurring naturally inspired by her sense of place. Her landscape. Her world.

**“I doodle in my sketchbook and then I weave and things pan out…”**
photo credit: ©Louise Oppenheimer

One can not only see, but feel the Connection to nature in her work. Falling leaves. Birds in flight. Windy days. The air that she breathes. When talking about one piece, she referred to the air outside and how it’s constantly moving. She said it struck her that we all breathe the same air. It’s the same; it’s just constantly moving.

“I could be breathing Einstein!”

There are several elements in Louise’s work I’ve always responded to. She is a master of repetition, patterning, rhythm. And movement! Her tapestries are like a dance with nature.

We were also treated to the larger tapestries in her studio. Here Louise is showing us (my personal favorite) “Respiration Rhapsody”; H 158cm x W 109cm

She willingly answered questions about her life and work from the group and I felt mesmerized as she spoke. Charming in a very down to earth way and also surprisingly witty. I’m pretty sure I wasn’t the only one scrambling to remember her words as she spoke.

When asked about the materials she uses, she responded…

“My rule is if it’s not like rubbing velvet up the right way, forget it. I don’t like to do anything that’s … uncomfortable.”

And where she gets her yarns?

“Wherever I see the colors I like.”

We also were curious about her warp, which none of us recognized. It’s twine; office supply twine. She noted she especially likes the “twang” and we listened carefully as she picked across a few warps (and lovingly referred to the sound as the “soundtrack of her daughter’s life.”) She told us she’s been using it since she first learned to weave in a small department that had limited resources, and… no one told her not to! It’s suited her fine through decades of tapestries.

Detail of the tapestry on her loom that day.

I think we all agreed there is something very special about Louise Oppenheimer. She exudes a feeling of lightness and kindness. She clearly follows her own voice - and it’s a strong one!

The lovely spread she had prepared for us of baked goods, tea, and coffee.

“If I can’t weave, I sketch … or I bake!”

By the way, Louise welcomes studio visits and you can inquire about purchasing not only finished tapestries but also cards and prints of her work. You can contact Louise and see more of her work on her website, Instagram, and/or Facebook. On her FB page, you can even see a video of all our smiling faces of the day!

*For a more detailed report of the road trip, check out Irene Evison’s post on the Nearly Wild Weaving website. (You’ll need to scroll down the page.)

A Visit With Louise Oppenheimer