When G. Elyane Bick was a little girl in Tebessa, Algeria, she used to play around
the looms of the rug weavers who constituted the major
industry in the town. Later as a convent schoolgirl, she too
became a weaver, working 10 to12 hours a day at the convent's
looms. At 20 years of age, she left and took a job as a radio
operator with the French Air Force during which time she met
American airman James Bick, her future husband. Coming to the
U.S. after WWII and raising two daughters, G. Elayne gradually
returned to the idea of weaving.
In 1963 her husband built her the
first of several looms, and since that time she has gained both
national and international recognition, now considered one of
the finestweavers in the world still living by several established
textile authorities. Along with many "Best of Show" awards
at American museums, Ms. Bick has served as consultant to both
The Metropolitan Museum in New York and The Art Institue of Chicago.
Currently, she continues her work on a limited basis and resides
in Longwood, Florida.
