I have enjoyed many long hours reading Jean Pierre’s stories
over the last few weeks. He grew up in Argentina and the string of stories he
tells brought me right into his young life. He and Yael also talk about her
early life in a kibbutz, their meeting, and their decades of adventure since.
Their lives have been full of travel, friends, and art. When reading
the book, I felt the same genuine love and sense of wonder at the world that I
felt in their presence.
Here is a taste straight from Jean Pierre’s vision:
Verdures are tapestries of great attraction and meaning to me. Since my earliest childhood they became the representation of a natural world I longed to discover. Before I was old enough to be allowed to go hiking into the mountains, or camp out with my friends, or start weaving, I built for myself a pocket-size survivor’s kit. It contained fishing line, hooks and a box of matches. Armed with my kit I felt I could adventure safely into the landscape of the Verdures, stepping into the tapestries in a fantasy journey full of mysteries. Walking at the edge of a ravine upstream following the soft rolling hills, going past the oak trees toward the distant castle, alert to the signs of animal life, hiding from hunters, in my imagination I discovered the lure of traveling the ancient way, with just me, a walking stick and my survivor’s kit.*
They gave a short talk about their book, tapestries, and
lives that night at Sally’s house. And wonder of wonders, they brought two tapestries
we could examine. Yael’s designs are, as Jean Pierre describes them, baroque in
nature. They are dense with activity especially images of birds and hands. They
have completed many tapestries for synagogues and there are color plates of
four of their Tree of Life tapestries in the book. Jean Pierre says that he
envisioned this book as “a tree with branches symbolizing the lives that have
touched us – family, friends, places, relationships – that even if distant in
time, have helped shape our lives.”
Jean Pierre finishes the book talking about the cycles of
life. Each February and March he and Yael create a new piece in the Water Songs series, “Foreshadowing the
arrival of spring, the process has become a rite, a woven evocation.” And in
each decade they have completed a Tree of
Life tapestry. “The recurrence of this symbolic theme has given us a sense
of continuity, of moving forward, stimulating our resolve in times of
uncertainty.”
The Tree of Lives: Adventures between Warp and Weft
is a fascinating account of two adventurous souls and the place tapestry has in
their journey. I am grateful for the opportunity to meet these two wonderful
people and happy that they put their stories into print for the rest of us to
enjoy.
*Larochette, J.P., Lurie, Y (2014). The Tree of Lives: Adventures Between Warp and Weft. Berkeley, CA:
Genesis Press.
UPDATE 11/15/14: If you'd like a copy of The Tree of Lives, you can email Jean Pierre to order. He hopes eventually to have them available online. Email jplarochette (at) earthlink (dot) net
Thanks for sharing, Rebecca. How does one get a copy of this book? I have done a number of internet searches and nothing comes up.
ReplyDeleteHi Bonnie. I'm trying to find out where to get the book. I'll update this post when I find out. Hopefully they will sell it somewhere online soon.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
DeleteHow amazing for you to meet these 2 incredible artists. i too was wondering about where to get a copt of the book
ReplyDeleteHI Dianne! As above, I'm trying to find out where to get the book. I'll update this post when I do. It is well worth a read! They are such amazing people. I kind of wanted them to adopt me.
DeleteI had the great fortune of being in Rebecca's color gradation class and going to the reception for Yael and Jean. I met them at an IWC workshop in Tucson, AZ during a very hot spell--Aug 1--. When I stepped towards them that evening, they held out their arms--it had been 20 years and I was honored to be remembered by them. Was a great evening.
ReplyDelete