GEOMETRIC TEXTILE WORK AND A MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

 "GeoScape I"  10" X 13" ,  Lori LaBerge  2016

This is the last work that will be completed in 2016. It developed from the study of shadow in a plein air sketch. Various values of gold, red, purple, brown and blue gray were used. The straight lines of blue gray to the right of the red are close in value to the background and almost hidden. I look forward to using plein air in a way that develops my geometric work and moves it forward. The outdoors offers so much to see in our own way!

Thank you to all the blog readers of "In the Studio and Elsewhere". You keep me on my toes and I look forward to seeing what the new year brings.  

A  VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR FROM OUR HOUSE TO YOURS!

ABSTRACT FIGURE PROGRESS, SKETCHING PLEIN AIR

Work in progress,  Lori LaBerge  2016

Keeping things straight

When working on a piece with a specific shape to it measuring is important. In the photo above the ruler is placed against one of the angled edges to make sure everything is aligned.

Correction needed

When I measured the other side, it was off by about one line of hooking where the light yellow and light blue are seen creating a bowing effect. This was filled in to keep the angle of the side of the piece in alignment. I will keep measuring at certain intervals as the piece is worked on.

Plein Air sketch,  Lori LaBerge  2016

We had some beautiful weather here this week so I decided to sit out on the deck with a glass of our homemade wine (not too bad for our first batch) and do some sketching. The sun was shining brightly leaving some great shadows to work with. I took the liberty of adding the sky to this work.  In reality, the background was filled with pine trees.

About 3/4 of the tree was in dark shadow with the left 1/4 in sunlight. The shadows were lengthy as it was morning. They were also narrower than I would have guessed. I learn something every time I work outside. Some of the best shadows are at sunrise but I'm not a morning person, so I frequently miss that opportunity.

Abstract Plein Air sketch,  Lori LaBerge  2016

This sketch kept to an abstract look. The darkest value is from the shadows that were viewed, the light value is the gravel road and the medium values are the pine trees in the background with certain trees represented by thin lines.

Here I marked off patterns. There is a repetition of sharp zigzag lines throughout the work which give a sense of action and tension in what is in reality a peaceful scene.

We will be talking about realistic vs. abstract, composition, lines, light and value in the Plein Air class I will be teaching at the Green Mountain Rug School next June.

Art exercise:

See how many types of line you can find in an outdoor landscape scene.

PLEIN AIR STUDIO WORK COMPLETED, NEW ABSTRACT DESIGNS

 "Nesting"  14 1/2" X 19 1/2",  Lori LaBerge  2015

The piece above was created from outdoor notes taken while viewing a hornet's nest.  I noted the temperature, lighting, colors, values, weather and surroundings. It was a beautiful sunny day, with the sun shining brightly on the nest itself and creating a sparkle of colors on the tree bark and background foliage.  

I took some liberties with color and exaggerated the yellow green background while adding other colors to create a sparkle appearance and give the feel of the joy I felt while viewing the scene before me.  A viewfinder helped me to decide on the composition itself. I had also hooked a smaller 5x7 version of the nest itself which I referred to.

The rest of the week was spent packing materials for a class on plein air that will be taught at the TIGHR conference in Victoria, British Columbia and creating a couple of new designs.  As we will be headed to Vermont not long after the conference, I decided to get a jump on designs to have them ready for color planning and packing to work on while on the road.

As yet untitled,  approx. planned size will be 20" x 36", Lori LaBerge  2015

I am beginning to experiment more with shapes.  I am interested in how they add to a work and affect the overall viewing of a piece.  There will need to be planning for how the work will be mounted as areas will protrude beyond the typical art board size I will be using. This is always a challenge, but a welcome one as I have the chance to learn how construction works with odd shaped pieces.  The work will be part of the connection series and each section will be connected with metal rods.

  "U-Turn", approx. planned size  19" x 30",  Lori LaBerge  2015

This work is planned as a wall hanging.  The upper section will protrude further out than the bottom.  It is based on dirt and tarred roads.  The more my husband and I drive out on the country roads, the more I am noticing partially tarred areas of road reverting back to dirt sections.  Sometimes we end up turning around as the roads are either private, dead end, or washed out and too treacherous to drive on.

A sample of some of the colors chosen for the U-Turn piece.

I'm excited to get started on these works as well as a previously planned piece. These will be in addition to working on landscape pieces for the 2016 exhibit.  

Plan out some pieces ahead of time so you have the next project to look forward to and have a great day.

WORK ON NEW TEXTILE ART, PLEIN AIR EXHIBIT AND CLASS AT SAUDER

Two sections of "Bridging the Gap" in progress,  Lori LaBerge  2015

I'm finally back in the studio.  Work continued on "Bridging the Gap".  Art boards had to be created in studio as they are not standard size.  Whipping was finished, work was labelled and stitched to a wool backing then attached to the art boards.

Metal bars were painted along with the screws that will be used to attached the bars between the two sections of artwork.  The work should be completed early next week.

Last Friday was spent at Sauder Village Rug Hooking Week.  Our plein air group had a special exhibit of our work.  This was our first exhibit since the formation of the group last year.  There was quite a bit of interest in the methods we use and I gave a short talk on the exhibit to the class I taught.

Above are some students working and discussing during the class, "A Creative Approach to Creating a Series".  I really enjoyed teaching this group.  Everyone had great questions, worked hard and I was really proud of the ideas for series people came up with.  

Subjects discussed were nature sites while hiking, bees and their nests, music, medical experiences, factories, rabbits and trees, and stripes.  I saw great possibilities for building a series of work from all of these choices.  

The discussion was my favorite part.  It seems like we don't always get the chance to do this and it is great for expanding creativity, motivation and camaraderie among artists.  I look forward to seeing future work from all in this group.

We discussed taking photos of subjects that interest us and keeping a journal of color, texture, subject and other artistic interests that can be referred to for ideas.

Composition used by the masters of painting was discussed with attention to line and shape as the basics of good composition.

Get together with artist friends ( in person or over the internet), discuss or study various aspects of art and have a great day.

"COLEUS II" RUG HOOKING, LEAVES IN THE UNICORN TAPESTRIES

"Coleus II"  8" x 25",  Lori LaBerge  2015

"Coleus II" was completed this week and is ready for framing.  This work was done from a plein air sketch using exaggerated color.  The dark value of the background makes the leaves pop out more than they did in reality. 

I started thinking about tapestries while I was working on this piece.  Leaves have always fascinated me and while my eyes are first drawn to the main subject of a tapestry, they soon start studying any leaves in the work.

While in Scotland a couple years back, I took photos of the Unicorn Tapestries that were being recreated at Stirling Castle.  Here are some close-ups of leaves in the works.

Lower right --"The Unicorn at the Fountain"

There is quite a bit of light green as if sunlight was shining down on the leaves.  They have a small, slightly elongated shape to them allowing soft resting places, almost nests, for the oranges to grow.

Upper section --"The Start of the Hunt"

These leaves are in sharp contrast to the first set.  They are narrower and sharper in appearance, slightly reminiscent of poinsettia leaves.  The bright leaves in front stand out and contrast with the darker leaves in the background.

 Top center -- "The Captive Unicorn"

The leaves above resemble umbrellas shading the areas below.  They spread out with each leaf of each section partitioned out with slight overlap in places.  Again, we see the contrast in values around them, forcing them to stand out in front and creep into the background as they recede.

 Upper center -- "The Unicorn at Bay"

Some of the leaves above stand out while others blur into nothingness as they recede into the center of the tree.  They are broader at the base and the lighter value leaves in the forefront lead into middle and darker values.

 Lower section -- "The Unicorn at Bay"

The leaves on the left have lots of curves running in and out among them.  If you drew them your pencil would be moving up and down creating wavy lines and the leaves would extend horizontally.  The leaves on the right are opposite, reminiscent of a fan.  They are more vertical, substantially longer than they are wide and spreading out slighting at the ends.

  Far lower left --"The Unicorn is Brought to the Castle"

These leaves are more rounded with the base narrower than the upper portion.  Thick in growth, the squirrel has found a safe place to hide among them. 

"Great Tapestries: The Web of History from the 12th to the 20th Century" by Edita Lausanne.

I found this book at an antiquarian book fair years ago.  It has great photos in both color and black and white.  The color photos are bright, clear and show lots of depth.  There is an extensive history of works from Gothic to Contemporary (keep in mind the book was written in 1965), studying the past to see how tapestry evolved.

It contains vocabulary of tapestry terminology, information on looms, creating texture, dyeing, and cartoon drawings.  The book was written in 1965 and is over-sized.   My favorites sections were the contemporary works which were divided according to country and the one page section on the signatures used by tapestry workshops in the 15th -18th centuries.   

Enjoy the little things that are often overlooked, record them with camera or sketchpad and have a great day.

COMPOSITION: PLEIN AIR SKETCHES OF COLEUS WORKED IN STUDIO

"Coleus II" in progress  8" x 25", Lori LaBerge  2015

This week I started the hooking process on a piece created from an outdoor sketch. Notes were taken on weather conditions, temperature, light and shadow, color and other aspects of the surrounding area.  When studying the notes in the studio, the decision was made to take some liberties with the colors to give the work a more dramatic feel.  Maroon and burgundy hues were changed to brighter pinks and a light green leaf was changed to an off-white mix.

There is an overall planned composition to this work, which was done in the sketching phase and transferred onto the linen backing.  I decided to do this after reviewing the composition practices of some of the master painters.  They used quite a lot of geometry in planning out their works and took time doing this before starting the painting process.

There is a diagonal line that follows vertically through the piece.  The line starts in the upper left touching the top of the larger leaf.  It than continues down to where the center of the large vein ends.  The line then touches the edge of  the bright pink leaf on the left hand side.  It continues down past the left bottom edge of the white leaf toward the bottom of the right hand side.  The diagonal line gives movement to the work as the eye looks through it.

The piece is divided into thirds vertically.  The left vertical line touches the edge of a leaf not hooked yet, follows to the top edge of the larger colorful leaf, touches the left edge of the white leaf and the edge of part of the greenery below.

The right line again touched the edge of part of the work not hooked yet, hits the edge of part of the vein of the larger leaf continuing toward the edge of the right dark vein in the white leaf and on toward the edge of one of the green sections below.

The piece is also divided into five sections horizontally.  The top of the colorful leaf hits on the first line.  The bottom of the right hand side of the colorful leaf and the edge of the dark green/black on the left side hit on the second line.  The third line hits on the bottom of the purple section on the left and the bottom of the white section on the right.  The final line hits on the bottom of a section of the purple on the right and the bottom of the white leaf.

Study the composition of artwork you see, take time to think about placement of objects in the design phase of work and have a great day.

PLEIN AIR RUG HOOKING, SAUDER VILLAGE EXHIBIT

"Coleus I"  8" x 8", Lori LaBerge  2015

We saw snow, wind and a couple of beautiful days while up in Vermont.  I took advantage of the nice days to sift through my stash of wool I had brought with me. The coleus were out at the garden center and I couldn't resist.  I always carry plenty of greens for plein air work, browns, black and white for neutrals and, luckily, had some pinks with me.  

The piece was done over a two day period.  I worked about 5 hours each day.  The most time seemed to be spent finding the right colors to use.  This seems to be the most difficult part of plein air.  It is very different from color planning in the studio and being ready to hook away.  It is more a process of having the basics available and color planning as you hook.

"Coleus I" framed , Lori LaBerge  2015

This piece will go to Sauder Village Rug Hooking Week in a special exhibit by the Plein Air Hooking Artists.  Artists represented in the exhibit will include Laura Pierce, Susan Feller, Patricia Winans, Jo Franco, Michele Phillips, Jean Ottosen and myself.  All have been busy exploring the process of plein air as we will each be creating two pieces.  If you are near Sauder Village from August 12-15, please check out our exhibit along with all the other rug work on display.  Our website can be seen here.

Work was started on a second piece which will be done in the studio.  

A plan for the piece was sketched out.  The work will be 8" x 25".

The sketch was placed into Photoshop to be color planned.  The printout of the colors can be seen on the right in the photo above.  I then drew out the sketch on linen.

Some colors were chosen off the shelf.  A stronger pink along with a few other hues will need to be dyed. 

  "Missing Windows" in progress,  36" x 60",  Lori LaBerge  2015

Work is also continuing on "Missing Windows" with more dark green strips of wool being added for more contrast and more light blue hooked in.    

Enjoy the spring weather, try working plein air or sketching out some ideas from nature and have a great day.

PLEIN AIR HOOKING: LESSONS LEARNED

"Waiting for Spring"  9 X 13, Lori LaBerge  2014

It's funny how things can change your direction.  I had planned on some finishing work this week, but a conversation with one of the members of Plein Air Hooking Artists caused me to change my mind.  It was beautiful outside, so why not drop everything and go hook outdoors.

I have been eyeing an old empty flower pot for ages and decided this was the week to hook it and get it out of my system.  Here are a few of the things I am learning through plein air work:

I am loving hooking on an easel.  It allows me to stand back and look at the piece I am working on straight on.  I have found it a little tricky hooking near the middle as a bar that is on the easel in back gets in the way a bit, but I am working on adjusting this.  There is a handy shelf which I throw my wool strips over and also holds my scissors and hook.  I did not mind standing the whole time as much as I thought I would, but ended up retying the hoop higher up on the easel for comfort.

 I have found that my interest is in light and shadow.  I have less interest in color, so am now taking a few liberties with that as I hook.  Sometimes this is necessary due to wool I have brought with me to work with.  It pays to check out your subject before hand and bring colors you think you will need.  Here I am focusing on the values of the pot and the darker shadows at bottom left and mid right of it.

There are more shadows at certain times of day.  Avoid noon when the sun is directly overhead as the shadows lessen significantly.  With outdoor light, there can be a glow to certain objects which can be difficult to portray as wool is flat looking.  It may be helpful to use other materials such as silk or novelty yarn that has a sheen to it.

Focus on values.  Outdoors the value differences your eye actually sees are not as great as those that show up on a photograph.  There are choices as whether to exaggerate the value differences or keep true to what you see.  In this photo you can see how the light is changing over the hooked area so that I was working in half sun and half shade at the time.

I had to take time to adjust the linen on the hoop as I completed the blue on the left and needed to work on the right side.  It would be more convenient to have a larger hoop or perhaps make a flat rectangular frame of decent size to place on the easel.  Don't be afraid to change the scene you hook from what you are actually looking at for composition purposes.  I changed the background to a blue as the dull gray that was actually behind the pot added nothing to the piece and the pot was my focus.

We are always learning from our art.  Never be afraid that something may come out wrong. Every artist experiences frustrations and difficulties in achieving what they want at some point. Let yourself experience some of this, realize it leads to improvement in future artworks and have a great day.

NEW DESIGN, MIXED-MEDIA CONTINUES, PLEIN AIR EASEL SET-UP

Multiple projects were happening in the studio this week along with bookkeeping, ordering boxes in order to pack work for shipment and delivering work to galleries.

While relaxing with a design magazine early in the week, I saw a grouping of six artworks placed together in a living room setting.  I loved the idea of the grouping and decided to proceed with a group of six rug hooked works using the road series I've been working on.

I designed the first of the six and decided on what colors to use.  This grouping of the road series will include more texture along with the planned gray and metal I've been using in the series.  There will be grays, orange-golds, white and a patterned upholstery fabric.

A line of dark turquoise is placed among the upholstery fabric hooked into the center. I love the way the upholstery frays as it is cut and hooked, adding another dimension to the work. Metal will be placed on top of the fabric.  Each piece in the grouping will measure 9 x 13 hooked and 13 X 17 mounted and framed. 

These will be perfect size for showing at the Carolina Designer Craftsmen show in November as I already have some larger pieces made.  Please check out their website as they have just redesigned it.  You can go here, scroll down and see all the artists who will be exhibiting in this year's show.

"Thread Factory" is on the work table in the completion stages now.  I have the edges wrapped around the spools and will head out today to find a piece of wood to place across the bottom.  The wood will be stained and the spools will be screwed to it so the hooked work is held taut.

I headed into the great outdoors this week to figure out a new set-up for hooking plein air. Linen was placed in a quilt hoop and the hoop was attached to a display easel I had in storage.  The easel shown is set up for standing while hooking.  If I decide to sit all that needs to be done is to tie the hoop lower on the easel.  The tray allows a place to set my hook and scissors.  I am looking for a container to attach to the tray to hold wool strips while I work.
  

Here is a closer view of how the linen and frame were tied to the easel.  I tested it out and it worked fine.  I'm also eyeing a new easel where the work can be turned as you hook which would be great.

When looking through magazines, I tend to look for how work is displayed.  Look out for groupings of artworks, shapes of works, framing and other aspects that add to the presentation of artwork and have a great day.

PROGRESS ON RUG HOOKED ABSTRACT, TIME FOR PLEIN AIR

"City Crossing" in progress,  30 X 30  Lori LaBerge  2014

The work on the latest figurative abstract continued this week.  Music filled the work space as it was a quiet week after the studio tour last weekend.  I added a diagonal section through the middle of the piece where I am hooking blue.  The background is vast and placing a medium blue in the diagonal section with a mix of a light medium and light blue above, though subtle, will break it up a bit.

Above is a comparison of last week's and this week's progress.  I put this up so people can see how colors affect each other.  There have been many times I have seen rug hookers tear out a color they don't think is working.  This can affect beginners who are still learning color theory.  Often, this is because they are looking at it against the backing fabric of linen or monk's cloth.  The color of linen is quite often not very attractive against colors one may be working with.

The photo of last week's progress is quite boring.  The dull red violet against the light beige of the linen is anything but exciting.  This week's progress brings a truer violet next to the red violet for a rich analogous mix.  Adding again to the analogous scheme is the violet blue started on the right.  Across from this group of colors on the color wheel is yellow.  I did not want a true yellow for the figure.  I opted for a yellow-green for something just a little bit off. The piece should be completed this coming week if all goes well.

Since the weather cooperated this week, I took some time to head outside and work on a plein air piece.  The hay was quite thick and looked like waves rolling through the field when the wind blew.  The day I headed out there was a clear afternoon with only an occasional mild wind.  We have a red gate in a corner of the front field that I love against the green grass.

"The Positively Red Gate"  7 X 7 Lori LaBerge  2014

I'm still having fun with the plein air work as it is freer than the planning which goes into studio pieces.  It is a nice break and gives me time to enjoy the mountain air and my surroundings. The shadows on the fence took on a blue tone and the glint of sun on the top of fence and gate produced a glare that I used white wool to portray.  I spent two days on this piece and it was a good thing I made progress on the first day as the second day the field looked like this:

No more long grass as the local farmer came to cut the hay.  I hooked the rest of the grass in the piece from memory, though I still sat outside enjoying the smell of the hay.  Yes, hay fever medication had to be taken that morning.  If you are interested in joining the Plein Air Hooking Artists, please check out our site here.

Try different color plans, follow the color wheel or throw in something unexpected and have a great day.