Sometimes the light shines upon us and brings special people into our lives. I count my time with Mr. Raymond Dockstader as one of those special occasions.
I met Mr. D several years ago working with the Woodlawn NeedleArts Show in Alexandria Virginia. I am the person who check pieces into the Collection for each Show. I see just about everyone who walks through the doors. After a few years, certain people stand out in your memory. Mr. D was at the top of my list. I always looked forward to seeing what magical piece he was sharing with the public that year.
Mr. D came to live in the Washington DC area from his home State of Montana. He was a Hill Aide. Specifically, he was a speech writer for Senator Mike Mansfield. However, Raymond Dockstader was an artist. A GENUINE ARTIST. He was a painter, printer, photographer and needlepoint artist.
Mr. D would sit with his basket of threads & canvas and stitch. He never drew out designs. He never followed a pattern or graph. He drew colors from his lot and stitched as the mood suited him. Some of the attention to detail in design is seen in the borders of these cushions.
Can you see the minute color changes?
These tiny cushions, Raymond called paper weights. They are weighted with beans, I suspect. Each cushion is a mere 3" square.
One of my most favorite pieces Mr. D showed at Woodlawn was a lucite box wall hanging with 25 of these cushions mounted inside. He said he had given away as many cushions as he was able to and he was afraid to keep giving them as his friends might tire of them.
Imagine my delight when I saw a display of little cushions at the estate sale today. I rudely pushed my way in and grabbed these five. Needless to say, the cushions were gone in minutes. Now, to be fair, a gentleman mentioned he saw one he was interested in but it was gone before he had a chance to grab it. I DID OFFER that if one of mine was the one he wanted, he was welcome to it. Luckily, it wasn't in my group.
I also picked up a few unframed/finished works. I plan to let my Nelly's Needlers' friends complete them to be sold in the Museum Shop during the annual Needle Arts Show in Mr. D's honor.
Many people attended the Needle Arts Show just to get a glimpse of what Mr. D brought in for the year. Mr. D was honored last year, at what would be his final Show, with the Director's Choice Award for his collection of 3 pieces. I squealed with delight when I saw the award. Now it means more than ever.
You see, sometimes those Needle Art Judges didn't like his work. They critiqued the colors. The stitching. The design. Yet, Mr. D showed every year whether he was going to win a ribbon or not. At 78 years old and living with Macular Degeneration, Mr. Raymond Dockstader continued to do what he loved. Stitching and Sharing. I pray in my old age, when my eyes have failed me, I will still find pleasure in my art.
Godspeed, Mr. D.
maggieb!
I am sorry I didn't know about the estate sale so that I could have seen more of Mr. D's work. I loved his parrot in a window piece but enjoyed each and every piece and looked for them at the Woodlawn exhibits each year. If you can't find someone to finish a piece of his for Nelly's Needlers, please ask me. I would be honored to finish a piece of his.
Just email me at chillyhollow@hotmail.com
Jane, sadly waving from CH
http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
Posted by: Chillyhollow | October 18, 2009 at 11:36 AM
Maggie, I am so glad you were able to get a sweet treasure of your friends works. Thank you for sharing your story. I go to sales often and I always try to get the sewing items or something made by the owner of the estate....I treasure these items and have lots of them all over my home.
hugs, Terri
Posted by: Terri | October 12, 2009 at 11:03 PM