Monique Lehman arrived in Pasadena, California, 20 years ago, but only after a storybook odyssey, which began even before she left her native Poland in 1978. She is an accomplished woman, fluent in five languages, with a rare talent. She is a tapestry artist. She left Poland after receiving a Master's degree from the Fine Arts Academy in Warsaw. The classical, academic training formed the basis for her approach to weaving. Her tapestries are creative, monumental and painterly. She received "Models of Unity" award in 2004.

with Lech Walesa
Monique's fascination with weaving developed when she learned about the decorative and functional uses of tapestries by medieval nobles. Her weaving method is based on those ancient European techniques. Versatile in several artistic media, Monique participated in numerous rigorous projects which included spending a year restoring a 40-foot carved altar in a 17th century baroque church under the watchful eyes of the monastery monks. Meticulous and intense training prepared her for undertaking projects of monumental proportions such as the historically significant 30 by 8 foot tapestry for the City Hall of Bay City, Michigan; the 35 by 5 foot "Pasadena Landmarks," at Pasadena City College; and the 8 by 4 foot "Deep Space One" in the Kennedy Space Center Museum, Florida. A magnificent 10 by 5 foot work can be seen at Temple Beth Hillel in Sherman Oaks, California. Presently, Monique also works at Art Center College of Design, and teaches tapestry weaving in local colleges.

with Capt. David Lehman

She describes a typical day in her untypical life: "At 6:30 am, I take my dog to run in the canyon, and then work for an hour in my garden. After swimming, I work on my art. The light is the best for working on the more intricate details until 1:00 pm. Then I go to Art Center to help the students explore and develop their design ideas. In the evening, I either take an art class, work on my computer, or watch the History Channel with my husband. At night, I return to my tapestry to work on the parts that can be done in artificial light. On Saturdays, I teach tapestry in my home studio. Students are stimulated by the artwork on the walls and looms. Once a month, I go to a Navy base with my husband, who is a captain in the reserves."

How to commission a tapestry: Monique will visit your home or office to explore ideas for a tapestry. She can also work from drawings and color samples of the interior. She will then present a proposal in the form of a color rendering. Throughout the designing phase, she invites her client to participate in the exciting process of creating a one-of-a-kind work of art.