"HOOKED ART 2014" OPENS AT UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT

Last weekend my husband and I traveled to Stamford , CT for the opening of "Hooked Art 2014".  It was a great turnout and a chance for fellow artists to share thoughts on both art and the business side of our work.  There is something about seeing work in person that gives you a sense of scale, texture, details and emotion that just does not happen in photos.  Please take the time to see this show if you get the chance, it really gives a good indication of how far the art of rug hooking has come and the direction it is moving in.

Here are some photos from the show:

View of left wall from entry

View of right side of gallery

Artists and juror pose for group photo

Liz Alpert Fay's award-winning piece"True North" in foreground 

Tracy Jamar's work "Land Parcels Quad" with award ribbon

Lara McGruder,  "Speak for the Dead"

Mary Jane Andreozzi, "Possession"

Susan Feller,  "Nurturing Friendship"

Constance Old, "red (for Gail Citrin)"

Gail Dufresne,  "Lizzie"

Alice Rudell, "House of Gold"

Leslie Giuliani, "Man" and "Man on a Ladder"

Michelle Sirois-Silver, "Recovery Method 2"

Rachelle LeBlanc, "The Gathering" foreground and section of "Revelation" in background

Molly Colegrove, "Lady in Grey"

June B Myles, "What Kerfuffle? aka The Banker"

Missy Stevens, "Many Circles" and "Running Bond: A New Day"

Linda Rae Coughlin, "Her Own Tears"

Beth Kempf, "Trickle Down"

Marilyn Bottjer, "Seeing Red"

Here I am with my work "Blue Collar" and "White Collar" on the right and Susan Feller's work "December 2013 Studies" on the left.

The show is at One University Drive at the Art Gallery at University of Connecticut, Stamford.  It will be showing through November 29.  The exhibition book is available through Blurb by clicking here.  Enjoy, be inspired by others, support the arts and have a great day.

PLEIN AIR STUDIO WORK, PIECES JURIED INTO "HOOKED ART 2014"

During Susan Feller's Retreat into the Mountains, covered in last week's post, I worked on a studio piece developed from a small plein air work I had hooked.  Since we were in a mountain setting, I decided to work on a nature design.  The piece was not quite finished when it was time to leave the retreat, so I worked on completing the hooking this week.

  "Stopping for the View"  10" X 22",  Lori LaBerge  2014

Here is how the design came about:

"Winter's Dance"   4" X 6", Lori LaBerge  2014

After completing this piece, I decided I would like to create a larger work based on the trees.

When the small plein air was completed, I snapped a photo of the area used to create the work.  I wanted to include the three trees in a horizontal format.  A photo rarely works as a full design, so I adjusted and edited some branches for less clutter.  I also added a hillside and mountains in the background instead of more trees.

I was interested in the crossing of the branches near the middle of the photo.  I reversed the way the trees were leaning so they would go left to right.  Orange buds were added when I noticed how the peeling bark in the photo had an orange tint to it.  They are dispersed in a zig-zag like pattern to draw the eye throughout the work. The piece has the feel of being among the trees and viewing through the branches to the blue mountains beyond.

A red circle shows how the eye is brought around this portion of the work.  The crossed branch near the bottom center left of the circle veers upward toward the branch protruding inward on the far right tree and around to touch onto the left side branch and a lower branch back around to the crossed area.  This way the eye is not brought out of the picture, but moves around to focus on a certain area.

A while back, I entered into "HOOKED ART 2014" which will be showing at the University of Connecticut's Art Gallery in Stamford, Connecticut from October 23-November 29, 2014. Five photos were sent and two of the pieces were juried in.

"White Collar" and "Blue Collar",  Lori LaBerge  2014

The pairing of "White Collar" and "Blue Collar" were selected.  I like the juxtaposition of the pairing and was excited to finally have an idea for the pulley I had found a while back.  These two pieces tell a story and I hope they engage the viewers in thinking about how both blue and white collar jobs affect our lives on a daily basis. 

This will be a show worth seeing as it focuses on contemporary hooked works.  The entry requirements were for innovative work consisting of at least 30% rug hooking technique.

Try creating your own innovative design where you make it flow so the viewer's eye moves around the piece and have a great day.