Sacred Material

Sacred Material is a new book that covers the work I did as part of the new cathedral of Los Angeles that opened in 2002. The book tells how that work became a series of three major tapestry cycles: The Communion of Saints, The Baptism of the Lord and The New Jerusalem. Essays describe the conceptual approach to the cathedral artwork and how the actual making of the tapestries developed. Sacred Material also contains a hagiography contributed by Sr. Mary Joanne Wittenburg that outlines the stories of the saints depicted in the tapestries. An essay by Bruce Robertson, Director of the Museum of Art, Design and Architecture at UC Santa Barbara contextualizes the art of the tapestries. Fr. Richard Vosko, who was a key figure in the art planning for the cathedral, contributes a foreword to the book. 

The book is published by Angel City Press with design by Lentini Design and Marketing

https://www.angelcitypress.com/products/nava

Sample pages from Sacred Material

Painting and Tapestry at Sullivan Goss Gallery, Santa Barbara

 Announcement image: Parasol | 2017 | 16 x 12 inches | Oil on Linen

A show of painted studies around a 27 foot tapestry inspired by Seurat's Grande Jatte. The shoreline scene depicts Ventura's promenade and is populated with figures along the beach near Surfer's Point. The texture of the tapestry is a mosaic of colored patches that refer to Seurat's pointillist touch that itself was derived from Jacquard weaving.

Installation at Sullivan Goss Gallery, Santa Barbara CA, Nov-Dec 2017

Big Platter | 2017 | 87 x 330 inches | Jacquard tapestry

Figure with Parasol | 2017 | 74 x 30 inches | Oil on Canvas

Figure with Folding Chair | 2017 | 22 x 14.75 inches | Oil on Canvas

Emerging Surfer | 2017 | 61 x 29 inches | Oil on Prepared Paper 

EY (study) | 2017 | 49 x 29.5 inches | Charcoal on Canvas

Hoop | 2017 | 16 x 12 inches | Oil on Linen

Adams Portrait for the Yale School of Music

Portrait of Denise and Stephen Adams | John Nava 2016 | Oil on Canvas

Adams Portrait installed, Yale School of Music, January 2017