MPF Conservation conserved several textiles for the State of Oregon; these were on display in the State Capitol Building in Salem Oregon: Fawkes Eight, Fuhrmeister, and Desert Grasses.

For more information on other art shown at the Oregon State Capitol Collection, see the short booklet by Megan Atiyeh.

MPFC was to repair torn or damaged areas using appropriate techniques, then clean before reinstallation. Common problems in the textiles were moth holes and the accumulation of bug frass (feces), dead bugs, dirt and grease.

Fawkes Eight by Judith Fawkes, circa 1977

Eight woven tapestry blocks hang from square dowels, each block a slight variation of a basic plaid, in colors of blues, greens, pinks, orange, maroon, red, cream, grey, and yellow.

MPFC treated all eight panels, however, we aer showing panel “B”, right, and below

Removing bug feces and embedded bugs from all the textiles was a large part of our treatment. Above, a stain from a bug long gone, was gently removed using a mushroom brush.

We were fortunate with pulls like the one below that no one had but the long strands of wool, but instead tucked them behind the panel, shown image one. MPFC organized the warp yarns, image two below, and began weaving the weft yarns back where they belonged with two crochet hooks, image three. Finished weaving repair shown right.

Click on images to see each entire image, above.

From the University of Oregon Libraries: Digital Collection: “Judith Poxson Fawkes (maiden name Poxson) was born October 5, 1941, in Lansing Michigan. She earned a B.F.A. at Michigan State University and an M.F.A at Cranbrook Academy of Art. She moved to Portland, Oregon, with her husband, Tom Fawkes in 1972. She taught weaving at four institutions of higher education, most recently at Lewis and Clark College, Portland. She has written a book entitled “Weaving a Chronicle” described as a visual and written catalog by a working tapestry weaver.” (Image from Wikipedia.)

Fuhrmeister by Heidi Fuhrmeister circa 1977

Heidi Fuhrmeister’s piece was unnamed so it is simply called “Fuhrmeister”. This textile is huge, and we were never able to hang it in our studio; our best overall images, shown above, are from the book the Oregon State Capitol Collection, by Megan Atiyeh, above right.

While cleaning bugs was again necessary, the larger treatment needed was reparation.

We could not borrow yarns from the Fuhrmeister, and so bought many variegated heathered yarns and found several bits that matched, middle image. Reweaving was performed using the new yarns mixed wiht existing yarns around the areas and the treatment was very successful.

Click on images to see each entire image, above.

Little could be found on the Oregon artist, Heidi Fuhrmeister.

Desert Grasses by Marie Lyman circa 1977

Several moth holes existed, and these were difficult repair because the weave was quite fine or had a ribbed texture. MPFC was able to pull many of the yarns needed from seams; sample repair below

D. Marie Lyman was born in Toledo, Oregon in 1950, and died in Astoria, Oregon in 2000. She was captivated by textiles, especially Japanese textiles. Some say Desert Grasses suggests an Asian aesthetic. Her work was displayed in the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and various colleges and county and city government buildings throughout Oregon. The image by Robert Miller, and short bio are offered on Marie Lyman at the Portland Art museum.