RUG HOOKING DESIGN, LINE DUFOUR PROJECT UPDATE

This week our yard was filled with the flight and songs of the local birds.  They swooped past the deck with amazing grace and speed.  One hummingbird made it into the house, flying aimlessly among the upper timbers of the living space.  Opening the french doors, I waited patiently for it to find its way back into the open air.  An hour later, after what appeared to be a nap on one of the timbers, it happily found the open doors and flew off. Our cat was bitterly disappointed.

While the "Road Series" I've been working on deals with the physical and emotional roads we travel in life, I began to think about the paths birds take.  I had worked with this theme earlier when I created "Southern Flight".  

"Southern Flight"  10" x 10"  Lori LaBerge

As I look back at this piece and its meandering lines, I can see that the road series was beginning to develop.  

I researched and found four major migration routes birds take.  They are the Atlantic, Mississippi, Central and Pacific routes.  Here is how the piece is developing so far:

Various grids were sketched out.  The sketch was divided into five sections, four for the routes, plus a side section to the left. There were choices to make as to size and placement of the sections.  I usually draw out a few (sometimes more) variations during the design process.  It doesn't matter during this process if things feel right or wrong, the idea is to get a starting point.

Migrations routes were drawn into four of the sections.  As they are separate routes, the lines within each section do not connect to another section.  I wanted something related to the birds and their flight to go into the left section.  Since they fly from one home to start another, I decided on an abstract nest.  A rough sketch in a circular form gave me an idea of what size it needed to be. 

While drawing onto the linen, I changed the lines in the upper right section as in the sketch on paper, there seemed to be too much space above the lines.  The nest will be hooked randomly, so there was no need for a concise drawing of it on the linen.

Colors were decided upon.

The earlier sketch was placed into Photoshop for color placement.  I'm debating on using the medium taupe on the migration routes or changing it to a lilac with the color behind the nest being a herringbone gray.  The striped area under the nest will be filled with small washers hung from strings of yarn or string.  This will probably end up looking different as the hooking process progresses.

I searched the studio for various materials to use for the nest area.  Scrap materials from the studio are often placed outside for the birds to use. They find these fairly quickly and I've seen signs of them in nests that have been left in our birdhouses. Yarn, sisal, string and paper strips will be added to the work.

On another front, Line DuFour sent e-mails to participants in her project Fate, Destiny and Self-Determination.  She mentioned a write up in Hand/Eye Magazine online. See it here.

Allow for new ideas to develop by sketching out options and have a great day.

INTERNATIONAL TAPESTRY PROJECT AND VIEWS FROM THE ROAD

I recently participated in the" International Tapestry Project: Fate, Destiny and Self-Determination".  This collaborative project is headed by Line Dufour, a tapestry weaver residing in Canada.  The project has three sections.  Line herself will be weaving a tapestry, a tapestry will be worked on by various individuals, and various shapes will be woven by individuals to be put into a larger installation piece.  

The project brings together a variety of fiber artists who will contribute to the installation work.  What a wonderful way to bring people together.  Below is the shape I worked on.

Created for Fate, Destiny and Self-Determination Tapestry Project,  Lori LaBerge  2013

The instructions for this piece were to work only in pure hues from the color wheel. There were also measurements included.  There is a Facebook page here where you can see other creations for this project.    

Once again, my husband and I are headed up to Vermont for a couple of weeks.   I am notorious for taking roadside photos everywhere we travel, even on local trips. There are always some memorable sights.

Humpty Dumpty was spotted in Colchester, Vermont.  It was created by my husband's cousin, Ann LaBerge.  She is an amazing artist working in a variety of materials.  We had a wonderful time talking about art when she visited us in North Carolina and I am hoping to have time to stop by and see her Vermont studio.

A dog made of hay bales lounging on the side of a long stretch of road. Such fun!

Further down the road, a companion for the first dog.  He looks a little worried. Perhaps he did something he shouldn't have.

I love architecture and upper section of this old barn has an interesting roof line with a slight outward curve at the bottom edge.

How often do you see a turquoise barn?  Love it and going to hook it soon.

Graffiti on an abandoned building.  Hooked graffiti would be great.

A cow made of moss greets visitors to the Stowe Craft Gallery in Stowe, Vermont.

Creativity is everywhere!  Take a ride, enjoy the sights along the way and have a great day.