VERMONT: A TOUR OF RAE HARRELL'S GALLERY

I would like to thank Kami LaBerge for taking over the blog the last two weeks.  She did a wonderful job and I hope all of you enjoyed her posts.

While in Vermont, I was only two towns away from the gallery of rug hooking artist and painter Rae Harrell.  She is located in Hinesburg, Vermont.  Here is a photo tour for those of you who have not visited her gallery and to entice you to visit if you are ever in the area.

  Rae Harrell Gallery and Studio, 2013

Myself and Rae in front of two gallery works.  She is a master of color and it is a breath of sunshine and happiness when you enter her gallery.  Her personality is infectious and exudes her love of the arts.  

Rae Harrell Gallery and Studio, 2013

When my husband and I arrived, there was an excited group of people admiring Rae's works and supply of dyed wool.  We had the pleasure of meeting Rae's mother, who is a painter.  You can see part of one of her works on the far lower right.  She uses textural qualities in her paintings which, as a fiber artist, I can't resist.

  Rae Harrell Gallery and Studio, 2013

A colorful wall of paintings and hooked sculpture.  I love that Rae has her own distinctive style which is seen in both the painted and hooked work.

Works by Rae Harrell

Two abstract works located above the entry to the wool room.  I enjoy the way Rae uses black and white among all the colors.

Hand-dyed wool at Rae Harrell Gallery and Studio, 2013

Yummy wool!

Rae Harrell Gallery and Studio, 2013

Stacks of various wool colors with hooked works above.  Hand-dyed wool and inspiration make a wonderful combination.

Work by Rae Harrell

I absolutely love this piece.  Gorgeous organic work.  The eyelash edging fits this piece perfectly.

Work by Rae Harrell

Mixed-media work.  The shaping of this is beautiful.

Work by Rae Harrell

This piece has great texture.

Work by Rae Harrell

Sculptural work.  Rae's creativity is boundless.  So many of these sculptural pieces make you stop and think.

Work in progress by North Carolina artist

While at the gallery, I was lucky enough to meet another rug hooker from North Carolina.  She was kind enough to let me take a photo of her work in progress.  I did not write down the artist's name, so if this is your work please e-mail me with your name or comment on this post and I will be happy to credit you on the above photo. In the background is a piece Rae is currently working on.

There was no way I could leave without taking a piece home with me. One of my choices was Rae's work on the left.  I am obsessed with rocks and metal combined with rug hooking, so the idea of crocheting over rock really grabbed my attention.  It fits in its new home atop a leather book perfectly.

The second piece I chose was a vessel by Molly Colegrove.  I just love the colors in this and am still intrigued by the hands surrounding the vessel.

I hope you enjoyed the tour, found inspiration and will have a great day. 

MICA ROCK RUG AND TOE RIVER STUDIO TOUR GALLERY SHOW

Mica Rock Rug   Lori Laberge  2012

This will be the last rock rug completed before the Studio Tour. The piece of mica on this rug has black, silver and white hues. The edges of the rock are jagged and form layers. Though this piece looks rugged, it is quite delicate due to the thin layers. The way the silver reflects and shines from different angles is beautiful.

Close-up view 

On another note, the Toe River Studio Artist Show is now open at the Toe River Arts Council Gallery in Spruce Pine, NC. My husband and I took a ride over this week and here are photos of some of the work displayed.

Since I love fiber, this piece really caught my eye. The workmanship and color use are beautiful. Artist Louis Grenell created this woven piece. She also created the rabbit.

Jim Waters does amazing encaustic work. I own one of his pieces and am tempted to purchase another. There is great texture and depth to his work which, again, appeals to the fiber artist in me.

Rolf Holmquist's work includes the use of all sorts of items. It is just plain fun to spend time looking at and identifying them knowing they were used to create one piece of art.

John Richards "Big Blue Dog" is made out of bottle caps. Love it!

I have purchased two of Valerie Schnaufer's works. I can't resist the ways she tucks items into various hollowed out areas in her ceramic pieces.

Here is my piece, "Lakewood". It was one of the pieces made for a show on stripes.

The tour takes place June 8-10 and information can be picked up at the Toe River Arts Galleries in Spruce Pine and Burnsville. If you get the chance, take some time to meet the local artists, view their studios and have a great day out on the town.

ASHEVILLE GALLERY SHOW AND PENLAND CLASS

This past week included a drive to Asheville to deliver two pieces juried into the show "The Cutting Edge: The Language of Textiles and Fiber Art" at the Desert Moon Design Gallery. Upon entering the gallery my husband and I were greeted by the gallery director, Julie Spalla, who could not have made us feel more welcome. The show will run from April 4-May 5. It was a pleasant surprise to see one of my pieces pictured in the advertisement for the show.

My piece is on the lower right.  Love the use of complimentary blue and orange in the ad.  I hope you will get the chance to go view the contemporary fiber works in the show and meet Julie, who can share her love of the arts with you.

This coming week will be a busy one as I will be taking a class at Penland. Penland is known as a national center at which one can experience immersion in their choice of craft courses. The course on my agenda for the week is "Chromalicious: Color Liberation" with Alicia Keshishian.

Just like back to school shopping!

Besides absolutely loving the name of this class, it appealed to me due to Alicia's experience in rug design. I have been keeping a digital sketchbook full of larger rug design ideas , but with the time-consuming nature of rug hooking I will be lucky if I ever complete a quarter of them.

I find myself both excited and nervous about this class, excited to have a full week to play with color, nervous as I do not view myself as having the best of painting skills and paints and painting paper are on the materials list. I have no idea what is in store for me, but will let you know all about it, with plenty of photos, next week.

Enjoy whatever is in store for you this week and have a great day.