Seven years ago, Nancy Shaw Kramer closed the popular Vineyard Haven Gallery, which she owned and operated for 20 years. Then she turned to a new art form. That’s nothing new for the talented artist-designer, whose work is on display at the Marilyn Meyerhoff Gallery at the Martha’s Vineyard Theatre through Saturday, Sept. 25. She creates mixed-media surface designs and tapestries.
After studying interior and spatial design at Michigan State University, she worked in interior design there before turning to tapestry making. A long tapestry dating back to the early days hangs on the walls of the theater. She made and sold 100 tapestries before opening a gallery. She has been sewing since she was a child, so the craft came naturally to her. She says that because she travels so much, she can make tapestries anywhere. “It’s my first career,” she says. Her tapestry work has been exhibited at the Textile Museum in Washington, D.C., the American Craft Museum in New York, the Newark Museum in New Jersey, craft shows in Philadelphia and Baltimore, and galleries and other venues.
After moving to the island to open a gallery, she didn’t have time to create tapestries, but she did display designer pillows and unique coats. Then, after 20 years in business, she decided to do something less formal. She also started trying new things, including joining a Peter Luce play reading group. “I was exploring new experiences, meeting new people, and having a lot of fun,” she said. She also learned to play the recorder and played with other recorders. They always laughed a lot. “Beginners are always difficult,” Kramer said. However, all her activities remained in the art field. She was looking for something different in art. This led her to try collage, hole punching, asymmetrical lines, and embellishments. She suddenly knew what she wanted to do. She cut paper and then splattered it with paint.
Works on display include beaded surface designs, a new type of tapestry, and a new series of silk patchworks. To create these works, her printmaking paper is embossed, inked, sprayed, or rolled with dyes or luminescent pigments. She then hand-sews glass beads onto the paper one at a time or threads them with wire and then glues them into a grid. The finished images are then screened, embossed onto canvas, or mounted onto painted box panels.
The abstract works glow quietly. “Part of the fun is not spending anything,” she said. “I love puzzles.” She added that promoting the work is the hardest part.
In Spread 3, the artist combined glass, paint, and glittering beads, arranging them in different styles. In Silk 1-6, she used pillow scraps to create a wall hanging. In Snapshot 5, Kramer used a series of small pieces of embossed paper, added beading thread, and hand-stitched them together.
“I’m not very good with paint and paper, but I can mix colors,” she said. What she really enjoys is the preparatory work through paper cutting. This inspired her to create new works, hand-painted on paper. These delicate and unique works are on display in the theater.
The Marilyn Meyerhoff Gallery is open every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM at the Martha’s Vineyard Theatre (24 Church Street, Vineyard Haven).
Post time: Jun-25-2025