While many artists utilize paper as a host for their medium of choice, very few use paper as artwork in and of itself. However, the beauty and expressiveness of paper has become Zelda Tanenbaum’s forte, and it is breathtaking to behold.
Tanenbaum specializes in paper quilts, most measuring in the neighborhood of 56×36. No, these aren’t quilts that you would snuggle up in on a cold winter’s night, but instead hang upon your wall and serve as a unique and wonderful piece of three-dimensional art.
Plainview-Old Bethpage Library Graphic Artist Laura Centofranchi, who also serves as the curator of their gallery, said that she had met Tanenbaum by mere chance and was quickly captivated by her artwork. Even though it took some time to achieve, she eventually offered her a chance to exhibit her wares in the library’s lobby, where it is currently on display.
“I was walking through our hallways one day, and I saw this woman. We started randomly talking, and that’s when I found out that she worked with paper,” said Centrofranchi. “I was so impressed with her work that I wanted her to hold a showing here, but it took over a year to do so because my gallery was booked in advance, but I just knew we had to make it happen because her work is so wonderful.”
Tanenbaum, who resides in Hollis, Queens, has always had artist leanings, and most of them centered around the use of paper; never one to engage in knitting or sewing, she nonetheless was enchanted when she came across an artist constructing a quilt not out of yarn or any other fabric, but instead out of paper.
“I thought that maybe I could do that, so I tried, and that was the beginning of it for me—working with paper adds a whole new dimension to art,” said Tanenbaum. “When you look at the quilts in a photograph, you don’t know what’s really going on, but in person, you can touch and feel them; they have depth and texture that a painting or drawing doesn’t. It’s a textured relief, and it’s a wholly unique form of art.”
Tanenbaum made her first quilt in 1992. Since then, she has evolved and expanded her technique, with her pieces encompassing crisscrossing, hand-made patches embossed with unique patterns on an etching press, colored with oil pastels, and accentuated brilliantly with whatever odds and ends she might have on-hand at any given time. The result is an impressive patchwork quilt packed with lush details that scream to be taken in by a keen eye.
There is no element of randomness in Tanenbaum’s quilts; quite the opposite, in fact, as each and every one tells a very specific story, each part a piece of a bigger whole.
“Almost all of the quilts are about the women in my life, such as the woman who cared for my mother before she passed away, or my granddaughters,” she said, and then gestured to a quilt made up of various brown hues, wavy engraved lines, and patches of yarn. “This is the saddest quilt I have—this one is for Lois, who taught me everything I know about hand-made paper. She was a brilliant artist and my best friend, but she had committed suicide. She was so talented, but she had a hard life and suffered from depression. I made this in her memory, and I try and touch it each and every day.”
Centofranchi said that she is a huge fan of Tanenbaum’s quilts, and is quite taken with how personal they are.
“I think her work is beautiful, and a part of herself is embedded into each quilt that she makes. It’s rare for an artist to reflect quite so much of themselves in their work,” she said. “Collectively, they all tell the story of her life, what she does and who she is.”
In addition, Tanenbaum has made quilts to celebrate women who have inspired her in other ways—like the late Princess Diana—and to illustrate the mystery of the concept of time and how people take it for granted while it silently ticks away the hours of their lives, she noted.
Despite mainly focusing on women with her work, Tanenbaum said that she finally gave into the pestering of her two grandsons, both of whom were jealous that their sisters received quilts while they didn’t.
“Actually, I’ve made one for my one grandson so far. I really have to get around to making one for my other grandson soon,” she said. “He reminds me every day that he hasn’t gotten his yet.”
Sarah Brown, an Old Bethpage resident who attended the gallery showing, was taking in each quilt slowly and carefully, admiring the great detail and care taken in crafting each and every one.
“It’s astonishing to think that they were hand-made, but when you think about it, that’s the only way they could have been made,” she said. “No machine could even approach that looking at these, and knowing that they represent a woman’s life and experiences, it’s so special.”
To date, Tanenbaum has held showings of her quilts at various galleries and community centers throughout the area; while the attention is nice, she believes the real fulfillment comes from baring her soul through her artwork and leaving a piece of herself behind for others to contemplate.
“My work is essentially praising something that people take for granted,” she said. “It’s important to talk about the concepts behind my quilts—many of them are universal, such as time or love—and what they mean to people. It’s important to talk about them, and being able to create something that may inspire people to reflect upon what these concepts mean to them is a wonderful feeling.”
