My sister, Anita Luvera Mayer, has had an amazing life of achievements. From high school, where she was an outstanding student, to the University of Washington where she continued to excel in every area. She has always set the example in our family for success through creativity, preparation and determination to succeed. There were three children in our family who were blessed with parents who worked hard and cared for us. The fact that they were part of  immigrant families, Italy and Yugoslavia, caused them to instill in all three of us at appreciation for America and our obligation to pay back society for that privilege. Phyllis, was the Firstborn  arriving at the Anacortes hospital on January 29, 1928. She died on January 7, 2013.  Anita was born November 15, 1932 and I was the youngest arriving at the Anacortes hospital on February 21, 1935.

In August 2016 Fidalgo Magazine published an article about Anita.  The article explained how she became involved in weaving and a creative driven life. It explained that her mother-in-law, Marcelle Mayer gave each of her daughters-in-law a loom and weaving lessons as a wedding gift. For Anita, this gift opened a doorway to a long and distinguished career as an internationally renowned fiber artist, author, lecturer, workshop leader and world traveler. It also started her on a journey from timid conformity to vibrant self-expression. The article explained that a major turning point came in 1972, when Anita attended the National Weaver’s Conference in Detroit, Michigan. She suddenly found herself in the company of like-minded women which was an inspiration for her. For the rest of the 70’s and all through the 80’s, Anita crisscrossed the US and Canada giving lectures and workshops. Over time, Anita’s workshops reached far beyond weaving into the realm of personal psychology of motivation.

In 1984, owing to the popularity of her workshops, Anita was approached to write a book. Her first was Clothing From The Hands That Weave. The book traces the history of weaving and fashion from the beginning of time through the modern era. It is described as “part memoir, part weaving instruction, part historical textbook.” It remains in print to this day and was recently re-published in paperback. Later books include Handwoven Clothing; Felted to Wear and I Don’t do Guilt Anymore.

In spite of all this success, Anita decided in the early ’90’ s to gain some formal schooling. She enrolled in Gail Harker’s Center for Creative Arts in La Conner. For the next seven years, she studied embroidery and design and saw her work begin to change dramatically. Lacking any prior formal art training, these classes gave her an array of new options. “It gave me the tools to take what is in my head and put it on my body,” she said. She spent less time weaving. Instead, she would take a plain piece of cloth and alter it by dying, stamping, embroidery, etc. since that time Anita has continued to lecture write  and participate in seminars as well as creative shows of her materials.

Her most recent acknowledgment of her creative skill was featured at the Matzke Fine Art Gallery and Sculpture Park on Camano Island in a show “A Tribute to the Written Word” See examples at  https://www.matzkefineart.com/a-tribute-to-the-written-word/.

Anita wrote about her creative work displayed at this latest show by explaining:

“My inspiration for this body of work began with an elegant candy box. My Dad presented it to my mother on Valentine’s day 1926 with an engagement ring, wrapped in gold foil, centered in an array of chocolates. Their years of valentine card exchanges were tucked into the box and I had the gift of sharing the words written to each other throughout their long marriage. There was the three page letter written by my mother-in-law to her special friend sharing sheer joy over the birth of her first born, my husband, Jack. I saved the letters Mom sent when she and Dad returned to Reggio, Italy, the home he had left at age twelve to immigrate to the United States. She shared Dad’s delight visiting his village and once again seeing long lost relatives. Dad wrote about traveling in a first class cabin in contrast to the long days in steerage when he first left Italy. In college I regularly received letters from Dad about his being a freshman state senator (an immigrant with an 8th grade education) and his enormous pride in being a part of his country’s government along with the challenges of politics. I was able to share parts of my family’s history because of written cards and letters, history that would have been lost if sent by today’s e-mail or smart phones.”

I am attaching some examples of Anita’s latest work displayed at the show. She has a long history of really beautiful and outstanding creations of various kinds and in various styles. When I was a youngster the Reader’s Digest was an extremely popular magazine. You can find it in every waiting room. It featured a section “My Most Unforgettable Character” describing a person of great accomplishments. If I were to pick someone for that distinction, I’d picked my sister Anita.