MY STORY
My studio and home are on Cape Jellison overlooking the Penobscot Bay
in Stockton Springs, ME. I am on the Maine Fiber Arts Map and can be
visited there. (call first! (207) 567 - 3484)
I had wanted to be an artist since childhood, but was drawn into music
and studied voice/opera at the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore.
When my daughters were growing up I was the mom that designed and
painted hallway murals and stage scenery at their schools. I served as a
regional director of the arts for the Virginia State PTA, and occasionally
performed as a soloist for various oratorios and cantatas in the Richmond
area.
When my husband and I retired to Maine in 2004, I took a 3 hour rug
hooking lesson at a local yarn shop and I was “hooked”. I ordered blank
linen (canvas) and started drawing and hooking our family pets. My
pieces started selling by happenstance and I have been hooking almost daily
ever since, and am so pleased that people want them and enjoy them.
Rug hooking has its roots in Maine – isolated farm women (and men)
would tear and cut unusable wool clothing and hook the strips into old
burlap seed bags to create a useful new item – hearth rugs. It was truly an
early form of recycling! Because burlap deteriorates easily, these early rugs
can be quite valuable – check Grandma’s attic!
I use imported Belgian linen and hook only with 100% wool so my
creations will last for generations. I use new wool as well as the occasional
Goodwill or yard sale find and sometimes fleece directly from a shearing –
all washed and sun dried. I hand dye to get the subtle colors that are an
integral part of my style. I also hand cut and tear my wool in varied
widths to achieve the textural irregularities that make my designs unique.
Most rug hookers follow the Primitive style of hooking, and have dubbed my
technique “painting with wool” as my designs are a combination of realism
and whimsy and always original! I have tried my hand at copying a few
“Masters”, which are all fully attributed.
My work has been displayed at the Islesboro Spiritual Art Show, the
Castine Art Show, the Hutchinson Senior Art Show, the High Street Gallery
in Belfast, and I have been an exhibitor at the Belfast and
Camden/Rockland Arts in the Park for the past 2 years.
in Stockton Springs, ME. I am on the Maine Fiber Arts Map and can be
visited there. (call first! (207) 567 - 3484)
I had wanted to be an artist since childhood, but was drawn into music
and studied voice/opera at the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore.
When my daughters were growing up I was the mom that designed and
painted hallway murals and stage scenery at their schools. I served as a
regional director of the arts for the Virginia State PTA, and occasionally
performed as a soloist for various oratorios and cantatas in the Richmond
area.
When my husband and I retired to Maine in 2004, I took a 3 hour rug
hooking lesson at a local yarn shop and I was “hooked”. I ordered blank
linen (canvas) and started drawing and hooking our family pets. My
pieces started selling by happenstance and I have been hooking almost daily
ever since, and am so pleased that people want them and enjoy them.
Rug hooking has its roots in Maine – isolated farm women (and men)
would tear and cut unusable wool clothing and hook the strips into old
burlap seed bags to create a useful new item – hearth rugs. It was truly an
early form of recycling! Because burlap deteriorates easily, these early rugs
can be quite valuable – check Grandma’s attic!
I use imported Belgian linen and hook only with 100% wool so my
creations will last for generations. I use new wool as well as the occasional
Goodwill or yard sale find and sometimes fleece directly from a shearing –
all washed and sun dried. I hand dye to get the subtle colors that are an
integral part of my style. I also hand cut and tear my wool in varied
widths to achieve the textural irregularities that make my designs unique.
Most rug hookers follow the Primitive style of hooking, and have dubbed my
technique “painting with wool” as my designs are a combination of realism
and whimsy and always original! I have tried my hand at copying a few
“Masters”, which are all fully attributed.
My work has been displayed at the Islesboro Spiritual Art Show, the
Castine Art Show, the Hutchinson Senior Art Show, the High Street Gallery
in Belfast, and I have been an exhibitor at the Belfast and
Camden/Rockland Arts in the Park for the past 2 years.
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