November 30, 2009

"Lean" in Progress




The ruglet Lean is well underway. Once the wool fabric is dyed, my main aesthetic decisions have to do with the direction of the hooking. I decided to hook the vertical rectangle by following its four sided outline, from outer edge till the hooked rows met in the center. I felt that this made the form seem more solid––a thing to lean on––than it would using parallel vertical lines. After outlining the green form, I tried using a random hooking pattern, but didn't like it, realizing that the shape needed to be emphasized by following its outlines. I'm still not sure how I'll hook the reddish background; it'll be either random or horizontal, to contrast with the strong vertical.

I always enjoy looking at a ruglet at this stage of its making, with lines of wool creating a strong simple image against the neutral linen background. I've often thought of how I can use this for other ruglet designs, with line and shape playing against each other. In 2006 I did the piece below, inspired by just this element in the hooking process.



Moderne, 2006, 12 x 10 inches

3 comments:

  1. it didn't occur to me you can of course make lines - draw - in/on/ with? (preposition failure) a ruglet. it's nice to see this stage of it.

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  2. I may have missed it, but do you turn these designs into full size rugs? Obviously that is not necessary, but I just love the idea of these beautiful creations under my feet every day.

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  3. rapp, yes it's good to take a look and a think at different stages of work; it could lead to new ideas.

    and Ms. Wis., no, I never make large rugs, seeing these pieces solely as artworks for the wall. I began rug hooking to make rugs for my antique home, but found it suited me as a new art medium, somewhere between painting and sculpture. I stick with small because I have so many ideas that I want to work through, and the hooking is a slow process; also because I don't want them to be confused with something for the floor.

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