The Artist
Cecilia Blomberg grew up in Sundsvall in northern Sweden into a family that was filled with a creative spirit. Her father was an artist and graphic designer so she always had art materials to play with.
In 1971, she was accepted into the National College of Art, Craft and Design in Stockholm, where she earned her Master of Fine Arts degree in 1976. Her college experience was especially rich and rewarding, including work as a muralist and graphics illustrator. Down the street from the college, a young American man had a leather workshop where he and a couple of friends made bags, belts and other leather items. She and the young man, David Lerman, were married in 1976. The following year they relocated to Eugene, Oregon, so David could finish his PhD in sociology at the University of Oregon.
The Tapestries
In 1977, the Liturgical Artis Committee announced they were in the process of selecting artists for four tapestries to enrich the walls of the Narthex. The project was to be funded by memorials, and donors had already been identified for the project.
In 1978, the Liturgical Arts Commission reported that Cecilia Blomberg had received the commission to execute the tapestries. A contract was signed for one tapestry, with the three remaining tapestries included in a Letter of Intent.
The tapestries were to be based on the text of the Canticle Benedicite, omnia operas Domini, All ye works of the Lord, bless ye the Lord.
O all ye works of the Lord, bless ye the Lord;
praise him and magnify him for ever.
O ye angels of the Lord, bless ye the Lord;
praise him and magnify him for ever.
O ye heavens, bless ye the Lord;
O ye waters that be above the firmament bless ye the Lord;
O all ye powers of the Lord, bless ye the Lord;
praise him and magnify him for ever.
O ye sun and moon, bless ye the Lord;
O ye stars of heaven, bless ye the Lord;
O ye showers and dew, bless ye the Lord;
praise him and magnify him for ever.
O ye winds of God, bless ye the Lord;
O ye fire and heat, bless ye the Lord;
O ye winter and summer, bless ye the Lord,
praise him and magnify him for ever.
O ye dews and frosts, bless ye the Lord;
O ye frost and cold, bless ye the Lord;
O ye ice and snow, bless he the Lord;
praise him and magnify him for ever.
O ye nights and days, bless ye the Lord;
O ye light and darkness, bless ye the Lord;
O ye lightnings and clouds, bless ye the Lord;
praise him and magnify him for ever.
O let the earth bless the Lord;
O ye mountains and hills, bless ye the Lord;
O all ye green things upon the earth, bless ye the Lord;
praise him and magnify him for ever.
O ye wells, bless ye the Lord;
O ye seas and floods, bless ye the Lord;
O ye whales and all that move in the waters, bless ye the Lord;
praise him and magnify him for ever.
O all ye fowls of the air, bless ye the Lord;
O all ye beast and cattle, bless ye the Lord;
O ye children of men, bless ye the Lord;
praise him and magnify him for ever.
O ye people of God, bless ye the Lord;
O ye priests of the Lord, bless ye the Lord;
O ye servants of the Lord, bless ye the Lord;
praise him and magnify him for ever.
O ye spirits and souls of the righteous, bless ye the Lord;
O ye holy and humble men of heart, bless ye the Lord.
Let us bless the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit;
praise him and magnify him for ever.
The first tapestry was hung during the Easter Season of 1979, but was not formally dedicated until September 7, 1980, “Homecoming Sunday”. The service included the congregational singing of the Canticle on which the tapestry was based.
The first tapestry, Praise to Nature 1, 1979.
The following images are in the tapestry: whale (Leviathan), sea shells, lightening, wind, clouds, rain, sea, fish, seals, angel, Loch Ness Monster, music of the spheres, vapors, a man’s face.
In 1992, the second tapestry was officially commissioned, and it continued the theme by representing the creation of the heavens: the separation of the waters beneath from the waters above, thus creating the expanse “sky”; the creation of the sun, moon, and stars. The decision to fund this part of the project was partially achieved by the use of memorial funds from the estate of Bea Pierson, a long time member of St. Mary’s who had served in a volunteer position of “Artist in Residence”, and who was on the committee that originally chose the Blomberg tapestries. The second tapestry was completed and hung in the Narthex in 1993.
The second tapestry, Praise to Nature 2, 1993.
There was an effort to reinstate the plans for the remaining two tapestries, but by this time the increased reputation and popularity of Blomberg tapestries made the cost of any additional commissions out of reach.
