Rick Strassman is a relative newcomer to spinning and weaving. Before discovering these extraordinary realms, he was a full-time academic psychiatrist at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine in Albuquerque for 11 years. He had previously graduated with honors both in biology from Stanford University, and in medicine from New York City's Albert Einstein College of Medicine. While at UNM, he fulfilled his life-long dream to renew legitimate human research with hallucinogenic drugs. The story of this work is detailed in his book, DMT: The Spirit Molecule. Rick began spinning Churro fleece obtained from Bob Davis' ranch outside Espanola, New Mexico in the early 1990's, and began weaving during the five years he recently spent on Vancouver Island, Canada, and on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State. He returned to New Mexico in the summer of 2000, and has established a private psychiatric practice in Taos. He feels privileged to once more take inspiration from the land and weavers of Northern New Mexico. Rick spins the Churro fleeces, without first carding it or washing it. Only after spinning is the wool carefully washed. The spun yarn thus retains the wool's remarkably subtle variations in color and texture, as well as much of its natural luster. With such a wide range of natural shades available, no dyeing is necessary to produce amazing sheen, hues, and contrasts. The thick, warm, heavy rugs are suitable for laying under for warmth and grounding, for sitting or laying upon for rest or meditation, hanging on walls, or draping over large pieces of furniture. Decades of Zen meditation practice inform the apparent simplicity of his striped weavings. "I love stripes," says Rick. "They are everywhere we look. Stripes are layers, both supporting and covering, creating a context for endless reflection and contemplation." As he returns to his Jewish roots, he's also discovering the Old Testament's mysterious and powerful use of repeating numerical series. Some of these arithmetic patterns form the foundation of his more recent designs. For example, a recent piece's design is based upon the numerical pattern: 7, 8, 11, 13, the number of knots tied into the fringes of the Jewish prayer shawl. These numbers correspond to the Hebrew words and letters representing the expression, "God is One." His work is currently displayed at Weaving Southwest in Taos New Mexico, and The Tapestry Galley in Madrid New Mexico (505) 471-0194. To commission a weaving, please contact rickstrassman@rickstrassman.com