to read more - Kaffe Fassett

Etiquette
FINE AND FORMAL TEXTILES
MANNERS
Hanbok, table linen, bow ties
MORES
South of France, hats, gloves
and stockings, silk in Lyon
MODEL
Kaffe Fassett, Little Shilpa,
Tamasyn Gambell
Joy to behold
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his partner, Brandon Mably, to a photoshoot with Bruce
Webber. For now it's a chance to do what he loves best,
work with colour. "Colour is my most passionate
obsession," he admits, and no one who has stepped
past his mosaicked front porch could doubt him.
Kaffe was born in San Francisco in 1937. He spent
much of his youth in Big Sur, California, where his
parents bought a log cabin from Orson Welles and
tranformed it into the famous Nepenthe restaurant, a
gathering place for artists. At the age of 19 he won a
scholarship to the Museum of Fine Arts School in
Boston, but left after 3 months to paint in London. He
settled in England in 1964.
A kaleidoscope of ventures have taken place in the
48 years since that arrival. One of the first was a trip to
a Scottish wool mill with fashion designer Bill Gibb,
see issue 26. There he bought Shetland wool and some
knitting needles, and on the train back to London a
fellow passenger taught him how to knit. Knitting is one
of the crafts Kaffe is most
famous for, but other
media attract him too.
Samples of his needlepoint (Kaffe designs
need lepoint kits
for
Ehrman Tapestries) are
scattered throughout the
house including a huge
pile of cushions in the
living room. Everything
he designs is made up
and the collection spans
decades and a spectrum
of styles. Keeping record
of the prodigious output is
something of a problem
- and the top floor of the
house has become an
informal archive. In the
future it is hoped the
.----··="'--
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house will become a study centre where researchers
can take inspiration from their surroundings.
In 1988 Kaffe was the first living textile artist to have
a one-man show at the Victoria & Albert Museum:
though the designation 'textile artist' is a moot point.
Kaffe's paintings are an underappreciated part of his
oeuvre. His detailed canvases and murals appear
throughout the house, sometimes sitting behind the
objects they depict, creating a pleasing effect of added
depth and decoration.
Kaffe seems happy to turn his hand to anything that
meets his criteria of colour and pattern. And as soon as
he learns a new skill he seems determined to pass it
on to as many people as possible through books,
workshops and lectures. There is a generosity and
sociability to the process that feels good-natured.
Naturally the same atmosphere pervades his home. It is
a social hub and stunning backdrop for events large or
small. The dining room in particular is a delight - a
study in foliage or an interior "ode to the cabbage", a
recurring motif in Kaffe's work. Horticulture is yet
another interest - Kaffe designed a gold medal winning
garden for the 1998 Chelsea Flower Show and retu rned
last year when invited to create one of five 'Artisan
Retreats'. His was called a 'Needlepoint Haven'.
In the coming months there will be several chances
to discover Kaffe's work. His new autobiography tells his
story in his own words, and early next year Marsha Hunt
and Sue Timney will design his retrospective at The
Fashion And Textile Museum in London. That will be
followed by a show at The Welsh Quilt Centre, Lampeter
in March 2013. Of course that's not all that is in his
diary: it's a wonder he ever finds a moment to enjoy his
colourful home. •••
Dreaming in Colour, An Autobiography, Stewart, Abrams
& Chronicle Books, ISBN-10: 158479996X, £25, Kaffe
Fassett at RHS Shades of Autumn Show, 23-24 October
2012, Lawrence Hall, Greycoat Street, Westminster
SW1 P 2PE, www.rhs.org.uk