People want to feel or express emotions in their clothes and furnishings. A bland cocoon is a dull existence, Vera Neumann.
This month in House Beautiful magazine, on page 32, you can find some interesting wall art ideas. Turn the page and you find more ideas, including an example of a framed textile. The one shown? A graphic, black and white Vera scarf. It makes a stunning decorative statement. With Vera scarves and other textiles so reasonably priced, why not frame one for your own wall?
A hugely popular designer from the 1940’s-70’s, Vera (Neumann) created up to 500 designs per year throughout the course of her career. While some have a distinctly vintage vibe, others reflect a timeless quality, designs so uniquely striking, they resonate with people of all eras. The one featured in August’s House Beautiful falls into this category–timeless (shown above).
She typically painted with a Suma brush, used in traditional Chinese ink drawings. In this way, she tended to capture the essence of her subjects rather than the finer details.
Although this neon-toned scarf contains some lovely details.
On Etsy, this pair of Vera napkins can be had for $16.00. They would look stunning framed and hung in the right setting.
Do you remember this Vera scarf from my Vintage Finds #80? It came home with me for just 25 cents.
It has some condition problems–a bit of tearing in the corner and unraveling of the hand-sewn, rolled edges. I think it’s a good candidate for framing, but it will require a professional since it’s so large and thin (it may be silk). (Note: The stand-alone, capitalized “Vera” dates to the late 1950s.)
But I decided that this striking Vera napkin from my “collection” would be perfect for an amateur framer like myself. You may recall that I posted about them a while back (Vintage Finds #76). I just love the drama of the black leaves against the narrow black and white stripes. (Note: “Vera” with a small copyright bug likely dates to the 1960s.)
So that’s what I did today. House Beautiful so inspired me that I washed, dried, ironed, and mounted the napkin, within days of reading their article.
Do Vera textiles excite you? Bore you?
Do you own any of her scarves or table linens?
Do you have a favorite design?
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Bye for now,
Looking for more info about Vera?
Wall Street Journal article, The Art Behind Vera Neumann (7/6/15)
Design Sponge article, Past & Present: Textile Designer Vera Neumann
Fuzzy Lizzie Vintage Clothing, Vera
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I love Vera design. There is a new and very complete book about her and her art. It is such an interesting story. Because her designs are timeless they look fresh today many years after she drew them. I have a wonderful Christmas scarf with great 60s colors. Framing scarves is a wonderful idea.
Smiles
I’ll have to look for it, Nancy. She is a fascinating character. I’ve never seen any Christmas designs; I bet it’s wonderful. Glad you liked the idea 🙂
The background of the Vera napkin you framed looks like Zentangle. Have you heard of that?
Yes! I love Zentangles–I’m working on one right now. And you’re right, that’s exactly what it looks like. She really was a forerunner —
Great Job! Love your blog!. Been reading each day for several months. I live in Lancaster Co.,Pa. and enjoyed you recent visit here! Love all things old and have found old scarves and love this idea to get more life out of these beautiful works of art!
So wonderful to “meet” you Barb. We LOVED Lancaster; I’m glad you saw that post.
Yes, it seems such a shame to let them languish in a drawer when you can hang one or two on the wall!
I have several Vera napkins. They always catch my eye!
That so true about Vera–she stands out from the crowd–
I will have to start watching for these at the thrift stores! They always have TONS of scarves!
You’ll be surprised (I bet) at how many you find and how quickly your eye is trained to spot her designs.
What a great idea! That napkin is so timeless…I always watch for Vera linens, but haven’t been very lucky. I do still have my Peter Max scarf from the 60’s though. Have thought about framing that.
Oh my gosh–I love Peter Max! I’ve got an original poster of his that he did for libraries that I’ve always wanted to frame, but have never gotten around to. Maybe now’s the time…
I never pick up vintage scarves, but I sure think these are clever ideas! Thanks for sharing with SYC.
hugs,
Jann
Thank you, Diana, for the very interesting info about Vera scarves! I had no idea there was any way to date them, so I’m going to check into her site on Tumblr. Good choice on the scarf you framed…simple but striking! I suppose when you frame you use a sticky board? Never thought of framing them either! Thanks again,
Florence