SECOND RUG HOOKED ABSTRACT IN ROAD SIGN SERIES IN PROGRESS

 "Roundabout Ahead"  in progress 19" X 29"  Lori LaBerge  2016

The green section of the latest in the road sign series was hooked this week.  The wool was a bit rough which made the hooking process a bit longer than usual, but the roughness against the smoother texture of other wools will add more interest to the piece.  The arrows are a combination of pale yellows.

The rectangular format led to the decision to elongate the arrows so they formed an oblong shape rather than the expected circular shape.  The tips of the arrows were altered so each was a bit different than the others.

The two rectangles on the side of the green section will be dark turquoise.  The above wool was chosen to fill in the gray area beneath the green as there is a bit of turquoise, some light and some dark, in each one.  This will bring cohesion to the work.  

Pete was in the storage area this week and decided my method of storing boxes was not up to par.  He removed all the boxes from the area above, purchased wood before the storm hit and was in his workshop today starting on a storage rack.  It is amazing how many boxes I keep for shipping, gallery delivery and purchases in studio.  As works being created for exhibit cannot be sold, I hope to also have space to store them until delivered for show.

At least twice a year I go through the studio and storage area and reorganize. Organizing can be overwhelming.  Try to organize one section at a time rather than all at once, find what works for you and have a great day.

NEW MIXED-MEDIA FIBER AND METAL DESIGNS FOR "ROAD SERIES"

I received confirmation of booth space being reserved at the Carolina Designer Craftsmen show in Raleigh, NC.  The show will be held over Thanksgiving weekend. Since I have been making quite a few larger pieces lately, I will need to focus on some in the $100-$300 range in order to have a variety of pricing options available. I will be on the road the next three weeks, so this is the perfect time to work on some smaller pieces.

Designs drawn on linen and ready to be packed up for the trip.

Below is the design process of the three pieces worked out this week.  These are roughed out designs and I may make some changes during the hooking process.

Design for "Parallel Roads"  9" X 13"  Lori LaBerge  2014

Here you can see how many erasure marks were made while working out the placement of lines.  Usually I start out placing the lines then look at the various shapes they create.  Often, changes are needed to eliminate odd shapes or lines that are too close together. 

Color planning for "Parallel Roads"  9 X 13  Lori LaBerge  2014

In the first sketch the parallel areas were the same width. I made the decision to vary the widths for a more interesting piece.  I will be placing fishing weights on the color sections and the gray marks within them gives me an idea of how they will look.  I'm debating on placing a larger weight hanging down about an inch away from the top right hand side as this design still feels like it needs something.  Also, the pink section may be too close to the center of the work.  I'll continue working on this and see where it takes me.

Design for "Tunnels"  9" X 13"  Lori LaBerge  2014

When searching through a box of metal pieces, I found some cylinder shaped lamp parts which gave me the idea of tunnels.  A chain will be placed through the two cylinders and left to hang down the ends of each.

   Color planning for "Tunnels"  9" X 13"  Lori LaBerge  2014

The local Blue Ridge Parkway is surrounded by the beautiful greenery of the wooded areas on the roadside which led me to use the color green.  There are a multitude of both short and long tunnels to drive through along the Parkway so I will use one short and one long cylinder in the piece.

  Design for "Ice Ahead"  9" X 13"  Lori LaBerge  2014

Though we are in the Summer season, I've been thinking of using turquoise or light blues in a piece.  This led to the thought of icy roads.

Design with color planning for "Ice Ahead"  9" x 13"  Lori LaBerge  2014

This color plan has the cold feel I was going for.  The purple will add a tad of warmth to offset the coolness.  A chain will hang down the center of the purple section to represent tire chains.  When I drew this out on linen, I narrowed the blue line directly to the right of the purple section slightly and moved it closer to the purple in order to create variance in the parallel lines.

While working on both large and small works for this series I have found it interesting to see how size affects the design process.  Look at works of your own or on the web and see how a composition would have to change if made larger or smaller and have a great day.

RUG HOOKING FINISHED ON "RED LIGHT IN THE CITY", NEW DESIGN WORK

"Red Light in the City"  27" X 35" Lori LaBerge  2014

The hooking and steaming were completed on "Red Light in the City" this week. The whipping will be completed on the road as I will be traveling quite a bit this month.  I drew this out to be 36" long but it came out 35".  This seems to happen when I hook blocked works with some straight hooked and others randomly hooked. It may be the way I hook the line in between each block on one side or the other of each square or it may be that I am hooking the random parts tighter than the straight ones.      

Either way, the piece came out even all the way around and I'm finding it to be one of my favorites.  I was worried about the black line above the red light not contrasting enough, but it shows up just fine.  I adjusted the yellow block on the upper left as when first hooked it had a pattern to it that distracted the eye. The various grays go well together and the black lines inside the dark gray rectangles mimic the lines in the stop light.

Some new designs were worked on this week. Quite a few years back I had a business card with 3 sections of works pictured side by side across the top of it. Another artist mentioned he thought it would be great if it was one large piece interconnected.

Remembering back to that time led me to begin thinking about creating a new work with three different designs in one piece.  I decided to use some of my figurative 30 X 30 designs alongside textile type designs.  This is where I am in the design process right now:

  "Nothing Can Hold Me Back"  in design process, Lori LaBerge  2014

The background of the center of the design was developed from a photo I took in a Scottish castle.  I then drew the figure into the scene.  The left hand side brought out the gold color in the middle along with the color of the figure and represents stepping stones.  The right hand side will be hit and miss light golds and dull lilacs.  

  The next step was to decide on what size to make the piece.  I'm debating between 30" X 60" or 24" X 48".  I placed paper on the studio floor to get an idea of the sizes.  

I then put the 24" X 48" paper up against the wall to get a better idea of how the size would look in a home environment.  I still haven't decided which size I will go with.  It always seems that pieces look small in an exhibit area which makes me veer toward the larger of the two. However, that may be too large for most homes.  I'll see how it goes.

Think about the sizes of the works you create or purchase along with what types of spaces they would work best in and have a great day.  Next week's post will be a little late as I'll be on the road.

MIXED-MEDIA "WHITE COLLAR" COMPLETED, GEOMETRIC ABSTRACT STARTED

"White Collar"  18 3/4" X 21 1/2" X 1 1/2", Lori LaBerge  2014

This was a really great piece to work on.  I enjoyed the collage and may add the technique to future works.  The tie had to be cut and pieced back together on the backside to be the right length for the work.  The original plan was for the tie to be higher up, but I really like it hanging a bit over the edge.  The piece has the business look I was going for.

"White Collar"  close-up, Lori LaBerge  2014

I tore out the stock market pages from a few newspapers to use for the collage, purposefully placing the NYSE lettering toward the middle of the piece.  The collage work is more polished than the rough work done on the "Blue Collar" piece completed earlier. The two pieces have different feelings and I wanted to communicate that.  All that is left is to place D-Rings for hanging and label the back.

Here is a photo of the works side by side:  I added washers and screws to the top collaged section of "Blue Collar" this week.

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

I have worked on quite a few 16 X 16 and smaller pieces.  After working on the 30 X 30 hooking challenge, I have decided to push myself and, while still working on a few smaller pieces, focus on larger pieces this year.  A new work in the "Road Series" was started this week.

"Red Light in the City"  in progress,  27" X 36", Lori LaBerge  2014

Dyeing was needed for the project.

and here's the palette of colors ready to go.

Try switching up your work (work larger or smaller, work with colors you wouldn't normally use, work with materials you wouldn't normally use, etc.) and have a great day. 

"LIGHT IN THE CITY" DESIGN, STUDIO UPDATE

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!  We had a wonderful holiday and since I have a hard time staying away from the sketchbook, there was even time to work out a new design.

"Light in the City" design phase  27 X 36  Lori LaBerge  2013

This piece will continue the abstract "Road Series" of work.  It will be the tenth in the series and I am not sure how many will complete the grouping. 

The design started with a rough sketch:

I enjoyed working on "Coastal Route", an earlier work which consisted of small squares. This piece follows that idea.  A metal bar will be placed over the piece where the top quarter ends.

Color was added.  The square on the upper right on the sketch was halved in size which added more interest and fit the composition better.  The large rectangle led to the title of the work as it will represent a traffic light.  The smaller blocks make reference to city blocks and buildings.

Color was changed as the brick red wasn't working for me.  The division of color allows the eye to travel throughout the piece better than the single red color did.  

The final design as shown at the beginning of this post.  White lines were added indicating travel routes and dots were added to more easily visualize how the washers, which will be used over the large rectangular section, will look.  Next on the list is ordering more wool and linen!

While I did not work on any plein air hooking this past week, there were some new works placed on the Plein Air Hooking Artists site before the holidays.  See them here.  I was lucky enough to receive these from my daughter:

Wonderful warm fingerless gloves and a hand warmer.  What better to have when hooking out in the cold.

Whatever your interests (my Dad has found his knack for cooking during retirement), enjoy the creative process and have a great day.

STUDIO UPDATE:

Yes, sheetrock is up and completed.  This weekend will consist of priming the ceiling and walls.  Final inspection should come soon. 

A view from front to back of studio.  Appliances are still waiting to be placed.

View from back to front of studio.

Workshop area, opposite studio area, where a garage door will be placed for easily moving table saws and other larger equipment in and out.

Long storage area between workshop and studio.  For storing picture frames, packing boxes, etc. 

"ROAD MOVIE' HOOKING COMPLETED, BEING INNOVATIVE, PLEIN AIR

The hooking was completed on "Road Movie" this morning.  

"Road Movie"  20 X 20  Lori LaBerge  2013

I love this!  I seem to be obsessed with the color blue lately.  The urge for a coastal trip, perhaps?  Some areas still to be worked on are tweaking the hooking, attaching the metal pieces, clipping loose wool threads and whipping the edges.    

A smaller washer, which I painted, was placed on top of a larger one.  It gives some depth and adds color on top of the larger washer.  I get the feeling of tires rolling along on the roadway from these.  It is hard to see from the photo, but the dark tweed wool on the bottom has the same shade of blue that is in the darker portion of the stripe running through it.

This weeks journal activity will be the beginning of a project.  I will be working on creating an "innovative piece" to enter into a juried show.  I see innovative as being something different (a new idea), something I haven't seen before ( a new way of working)  and that veers from tradition. 

This week I took my first step of finding a subject.  This can sometimes be overwhelming as there are so many options and the shows only theme is "innovative". 

The subject was arrived at through materials.  I found an old pulley at an antique shop a while back and have been waiting for an idea to use it.  From the pulley came the idea of the working class.  The piece will be titled "Blue Collar".  I pulled blue wool from the studio shelf and while searching through my box of metals found two sizes of chains.  

I know I will use the chain over the pulley somehow.  I will also use a photo of our local quartz plant as inspiration for the work.  The next week will be spent putting this idea together.

The Quartz Company in Spruce Pine, NC

Try some of your own innovations.  Ideas could include choosing an odd subject, using different materials than you would normally see hooked, putting materials together in an unexpected way or adding various embellishments.  You may wish to simply work on the design process in your journal or you may choose to hook a piece.  Be creative!  There are no rules here.

The "Plein Air Hooking Artists" is in the works.  I will be working on planning out the website tomorrow.  I have listed the idea under the group section of the TIGHR (The International Guild of Handhooking Rugmakers) website.  If you are a member of TIGHR please take a look and see if you would be interested in joining.  If you are not a member, think about joining.  It is a great way to keep in contact with other rug hookers, exchange ideas and view some amazing work.

    "Autumn's Start"  4 X 6  Lori LaBerge  2013

Membership is free and will be ongoing.  If you are interested in joining us please contact me at lorilaberge@gmail.com.

Be innovative, whether cooking, singing, dancing or creating,and have a great day.

BACK TO HOOKING, PLEIN AIR AND JOURNALING EMOTION

It feels good to be back home.  We had a great time in Vermont where we celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary in Stowe.  Now, it's back to work.

"Road Movie"  abstract in progress  20 X 20  Lori LaBerge  2013

Progress is being made on "Road Movie". Two lighter grays were used to depict the silver screen, though close in value they are working out well so far. The black filmstrip area adds the right amount of variety and interest.  I should be finishing up the hooking work and adding embellishments this coming week.

There has been minimal interest in the plein air group I would like to start.  Plein air painters are a hearty breed, dealing with heat, cold, wind and the other hazards of working outdoors.  I know rug hookers are just as tough as painters and it is a great way to study light and nature.

 Colors chosen for this weeks plein air work.

"Along the Drive"  4 X 6  Lori LaBerge  2013  Plein Air Hooking

I will be working the next few weeks setting up a website for Plein Air Hooking Artists. Here is a list of what is planned so far:

--there is no membership fee
--site will display hooked works which are actually hooked in the outdoors.
--artists may not use photos for reference while hooking
-- each artist will send photos of their work to me when they wish and  I will put them up on the site.  Work should be well photographed.
--photos of artists working outdoors are encouraged.
--artists will send a short bio to be placed on the site. This may be edited with final approval by the artist.
--there will be links available to artists websites or blogs.
--artists must be serious about their work and plan on contributing work to the site.
--promotion of rug hooking as art and enjoyment of the talents of others.  (Have fun!)

E-mail me at lorilaberge@gmail.com if you would like to be included.  There are some who have shown interest but left me with no way to contact them.  Please use the e-mail above and leave your e-mail for contact (a no-reply e-mail will not allow me to contact you).

A great resource on plein air is this special issue put out by American Artist magazine.

There are many different ways to display emotion in artwork.  For the journal activity this week a list of words dealing with feelings was made, one of these was chosen, and photos were cut from magazines which displayed this emotion.

Emotions could include:  peacefulness, happiness, anger, serenity, calmness, laziness, energy, sadness, hope, relief, love, abandonment, innocence, etc

I chose serenity and energy and created these two pages in my journal.

It was interesting to see how important color was in my determination of serenity and energy with cool colors being serene and warm colors depicting energy.  It made me wonder if red could be made serene or a soft blue be made energetic.

Think about the feeling you want to portray through your work, work toward that end and have a great day.

HOOKING COMPLETED, SAUDER VILLAGE AND MEETING RUG HOOKERS ON THE INTERNET

The hooking on "Coastal Route" was completed this week.  

"Coastal Route"  20 X 20  Lori LaBerge  2013

This piece ended up with the feel I was going for.  Though it may seem like all the lines and squares would make it busy, the color palette of grays and blues give it a calm and serene feel.  It is the feeling I have when we are driving along the ocean, taking in the salty air and watching the waves slowly come upon the shore and fade into the sand beneath.  I find myself longing for a trip to the coast.

I have been trying to tell stories with "The Roads We Travel' series.  It can be a difficult thing to do with geometric abstracts.  During the creation process I wonder "Will viewers understand the work?",  "Will viewers be able to tell their own story through my work?", and "Are these roads the viewer has also traveled, whether literally or emotionally?"  I hope to be able to improve on this aspect as the series progresses.  Every series is full of challenges.

  "Bump and Grind"  18 X 24  Lori LaBerge  2013, created for "The Moods of Color and Value" curated by Susan Feller.

The internet always surprises me.  In January of 2012, I was contacted by Susan Feller after she saw my work in a "Pushing the Limits" exhibit.  We have been in contact ever since.  

Susan is a wonderful friend.  She is one of the most encouraging people I have ever had the pleasure of communicating with and her contemporary pieces show the breadth of her creativity.   Recently, her work was juried into 7Stitch, a show at Morehead State University.  Susan is talented in creating both traditional and contemporary work.

Last August, Susan contacted me to participate in "The Moods of Color and Value", currently on exhibit at Sauder Village, with eight other artists. We each chose a color and created a piece encompassing our emotional reaction to that color.  My choice was orange and my first reaction was movement.  This led to the idea of dancing torsos. I used the lyrics of Nat King Cole's "Orange Colored Sky" to bring in green polka dots and purple stripes.

 An orange colored sky across the field in front of our house.  Gotta love living here!

I've been in contact through the internet just this past week with Jen Lavoie.  There was recently a class reunion site set up for our 35th high school reunion.  I placed a post and Jen contacted me.  35 years!  I could not believe she was a rug hooker! She is show chair for the Green Mountain Rug Hooking Guild, has won awards for her work,  and has had her rugs photographed for books.    

Jen is a true artist.  Her work is realistic with wonderfully blended colors and depth. She brings an emotion to her works that gives a feeling of being in the scene she has depicted.  Her work has been shown at the Cooley Gallery and more works can be seen here.

Enjoy the wonderful talents of others, connect, let your common interests bring you together and have a great day!

PROGRESS ON "COASTAL ROUTE'', GEOMETRIC ARCHITECTURE AND ART STUDY AT HOME

"Coastal Route" in progress,  20" X 20"  Lori LaBerge  2013

Gray wool is flying through the cutter as "Coastal Route" progresses.  I am hoping to complete the hooking and start on whipping the edges this coming week.  The decision has been made to definitely change the upper left white line now that more of the piece is hooked.  It is a bit too choppy over the second from left dark square and needs to be smoothed out.

I had a visit from friend and weaver Mary Kircher this week.  Mary had been working as an assistant in a tapestry class at Penland for two weeks and took some time on her way home to stop by and say hello.  She showed me four of the smaller pieces she had worked on.  Her color combinations were beautiful. Mary's work can be seen here.  After her visit, I followed the urge to work on something new.

I thought of last week's journal activity and decided to hook one of the drawings done using three lines.  Here is the result: 

    "Architecture 1"  10" X 10", Lori LaBerge  2013

The plan for this piece was to focus on shape and color.  With that in mind, I filled the buildings in randomly rather than in a vertical direction.  The upper section was hooked horizontally for contrast.  It is a minimalist, geometric approach with no windows or doors that would normally appear on a building.  For those of you who like geometric forms you can go to Geoform, which shows the work of artists who focus on this aspect of art.  

This weekend, I plan to go back to school in my own living room.  I have to admit, I miss the art history lectures from my college years.  Recently I purchased two courses from The Great Courses.  If you do want to purchase, I would suggest waiting for their sales which are quite frequent and a great bargain.

  

You simply play the DVD and it is like you are right back in the old lecture hall. There are plenty of pictures to go along with the video lecture and the professors are well respected in their fields.  Also included is a course guidebook.  The courses I purchased were  "How to Look at and Understand Great Art" and "The World's Greatest Paintings".  

Grab your favorite drink, curl up in your favorite chair, do a search on art history and have a great day.  If you want to test your knowledge there are a variety of art quizzes at FunTrivia.)

HOOKING CONTINUES ON "COASTAL ROUTE", LINE EXERCISE, STUDIO UPDATE

This was a busy week and I surprised myself by actually getting some hooking done.  I am loving working on this piece.  

"Coastal Route" in progress,  Lori LaBerge  2013.  

I may change the upper left white line as things progress.  For now I will leave as is since it will be an easy fix if needed.  The blues are giving the calm, relaxed feel I am going for.

The grouping of small squares is allowing me to really focus on each section in relation to the others around it.  After each section is completed I ask myself "Are the lines straight?" and " Are the loops packed too tightly to keep the square in proportion once the next square is hooked?" 

Though hooking was started, I decided to put the original sketch into Photoshop and add some color to see how the whole piece will feel.  Here is the Photoshop picture:

Color added to "Coastal Route" design in Photoshop.  I also drew in the metal which will be attached to the piece.

I am torn between using and not using technology to create handmade pieces.  The more I use it, the better I feel about it.  I no longer think that placing color in a hand drawn design with Photoshop is any different than placing the colors with paint or colored pencils. Sometimes I feel like a brush and pencil and sometimes I feel like using the computer.  It is a matter of preference.  

The art journal exercise worked on this week relates to lines.  This is a great exercise for both realistic and abstract artists.  Draw twelve squares on a sheet of paper.  Within each square draw only three lines.  A line ends when you lift your writing utensil or touch the edge of the square.  The lines do not have to be straight. For example, a circle would qualify as one drawn line.  I also limited myself to 10 minutes, but there is no time limit on this exercise.

Art journal page

I seemed to spend most of my 10 minutes deciding which direction to go with this, but once I started on the architectural theme it went fast.  This type of exercise encourages working with limitations.  When limited, how far can you go?  I am now contemplating a series of small architectural works.  You cannot just sit back and wait for inspiration to happen, you have to work at it.

There are no limitations in the art world, but forcing them upon yourself now and then can stretch creativity.  It is similar to working with what you have.  I can't count the times I have grabbed a stash box full of wool and just worked with what was in it.

Try working with some limitations this week, see if it changes your outlook and have a great day.

STUDIO UPDATE--

 Here's where we are now.  Luckily, my husband knows how to do wiring, so I am in training.  When we are done we just have to call the inspector to check it.

 Recessed lighting is being placed up above.

 Picked up this cool faucet for the dye sink.

Went into Asheville to pick up the sink.  Also stopped at Papa's and Beer Mexican Restaurant for a margarita and spinach quesadilla because all work and no play is just not a good thing.