I’ve been a Kaffe Fassett fan for a long time. I’ve been buying and using his fabrics in many of my quilts for years. In 2010, I attended a Kaffe lecture where he opened by complimenting the audience for choosing to wear color. “I’m glad to see the funeral is over,” he said. A look around the room showed that most attendees were wearing bright colors. Sadly, I was one of the few exceptions, wearing a somber, ‘funeral’ black. It was a moment of self-revelation, and one of many times Kaffe Fassett would shift my perspective on color.
I don’t know what I expected from Dreaming in Color: An Autobiography
Kaffe has an appreciation for the natural world, which is evident in his biography and art work. Dreaming in Color is filled with many colorful photographs of his travels around the world as well as many of his different paintings, designs, and creations.
Though I am especially drawn to his fabrics, I think any artist would find value and inspiration in Kaffe’s story. He was surrounded by many vibrant and artistic people as a young boy and he has great stories about these people in the book. Kaffe’s experiences within the world of art and design make for an interesting, quick read as well.
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Dreaming in Color: An Autobiography
Non-fiction
Abrams Publishing
2012
Kaffe Fassett has led an extraordinary life and is a captivating storyteller with a vivid memory. Born in 1937, he spent much of his youth in Big Sur, California, where his parents bought a cabin from Orson Welles and transformed it into the world-famous Nepenthe restaurant, a gathering place for artists and bohemians. After attending a boarding school run by the disciples of Krishnamurti, an Indian guru, he studied painting at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, then traveled to England, where he made his home. After an inspiring trip to Inverness, Scotland, Fassett began designing knitwear for Bill Gibb, and then the Missonis, Vogue magazine, and private clients like Lauren Bacall and Barbra Streisand, and, in the process, revolutionized the handknitting world with his explosive use of color. Further explorations led him to needlepoint, mosaics, rugmaking, tapestries, yarn and fabric design, costume and set design, and quilting. Now in his seventies, Fassett continues to produce new work and to travel worldwide to teach and lecture. In this intimate autobiography, Fassett shares rich, detailed stories about his lifelong creative journey as well as hundreds of glorious photos taken along the way.
