JAMES KOEHLER

James Koehler weaves his technically complex designs with meditative concentration.  He finds serenity in the hypnotic process of passing the shuttle back and forth, just as he did in the rhythms of monastic life.  Koehler discovered the art of weaving during his residence at Christ in the Desert Monastery in Northern New Mexico.  He taught himself the technical skills that, combined with his intellectual and spiritual self, have made him one of the most sought after weavers today.  Koehler left the monastery in 1987 and for the past 20 years he has dedicated his life to weaving.  Maintaining a rigorous schedule of 10-12 hours a day in the studio, he has mastered his art form.  His unparalleled ability to mix extraordinarily intense colors in subtle variations gives each tapestry an incredible luminosity.  His masterful geometric designs cause these light waves to pulsate before the viewer’s eyes.  Koehler’s spiritual inspirations and philosophical musings are apparent in each design, simple or complex. The weavings themselves seem to radiate his contemplative energy.  

Selected Permanent Collections

Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC

The Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO
The Loveland Museum, Loveland, CO
The State of New Mexico, Acclaimed Artists Series, Western New Mexico University, Silver City, NM
The Civica Center, Seattle, WA
Lloyd Cotsen Collection-Textile Traces, Los Angeles, CA
The State of New Mexico, Acclaimed Artists Series, NM
State Personnel Building, Santa Fe, NM
The Westin Hotel, Charlotte, NC
Southwest Bank, St. Louis, MO
Lovelace Medical Center, Albuquerque, NM
California State University Foundation, Longbeach, CA
St. John's Episcopal Church, New York, NY
Church of Gabriel the Archangel, Port Allegany, PA
New Mexico State Library, Santa Fe, NM

Please contact us for other available works
info@jsauergallery.com