There is quite a bit of news this week as we head into the holidays, when I will be able to relax and enjoy company.
I had a pleasant surprise this week when I was reading "The Laurel of Asheville" magazine. My "Tunnels" work was included in photos accompanying an article about the Toe River Studio Tour. "The Laurel of Asheville" is a magazine that covers information about the arts throughout the Western North Carolina mountain area.
Work in progress, 3 feet by 5 feet, Lori LaBerge 2014
Work has started on an as yet untitled work which will be included in a series on windows in abandoned and deteriorating buildings. Colors were decided on, wool was dyed and I had the chance to enjoy hooking, which has taken a back seat with all the shows going on lately. More will be discussed on this piece next week.
There is cut wood in the studio. Stay tuned to see what is going to happen with this.
After setting up my booth in Raleigh, my husband and I headed over to the North Carolina Museum of Art. Last year we walked through the park area and viewed sculptures along the way. This year we had the chance to see the new contemporary exhibit. There is a brand new building which shows the work off beautifully. I did take a few photos of my favorites, but to tell the truth I was too busy looking at the work to take a lot of pictures.
Franz Kline has always been one of my favorites. I love the black and white, the sense of energy emitted and how his work always seems to portray a construction site to me. I just enjoy that architectural feel I get from his work. His work was done with regular house paint, nothing fancy here. When the work is viewed in person, layers of color can be seen as can various thicknesses of paint.
I had never seen this work before, or heard of the artist. The photo does not do it justice. The triptych is huge, measuring 130 1/4" by 73". There is a ton of texture in this piece. Stones are wrapped in a bundle in the first section, a ladder hangs from the upper half of the second and an odd shaped funnel is on the bottom section of the third. I had the sense of decay and deterioration from this. Straw was placed in with the paint and areas appeared to be burnt. I must have spent twenty minutes just studying this work.
Anyone who knows me knows I love the work of Sean Scully. Stripes intrigue me. Are they roads to places, are those that are cut off boxes with no exit? Stripes have represented various things throughout history. Scully's work is layered. Looking closely, you see the colors underneath wanting to be seen through the layer covering them. The edges are ragged looking, imperfect. If you do a search on Scully and his work you can find many videos of him discussing stripes and how they relate to his work.
The museum has a gift store and I headed straight to the books. My purchases were:
This book includes various artist interviews and thoughts on craft. From what I have read so far, it is a great look into artists' ideas and processes.
The book includes photos and commentary on all of the works in the permanent collection of the museum.
Last weekend's studio tour went well. Here are a few photos of the studio right before the tour started.
I set up an area for people to visit during the tour. That Thursday was also International Hook-In Day, so people were welcome to try their hand at rug hooking. I was looking for a new chair to sit and hook in, when I found my late mother-in-law's old chair in storage. This was the chair she used to sit in when working crochet and embroidery. How great to think of her every time I sit and hook.
Create art, view art, read about art and have a great day.
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