Wednesday, January 27, 2010

My friend the very accomplished hooker......

Article from Hand/Eye
Article from Hand/Eye Magazine:"It's not what you think: Leslie Giuliani hooks rugs with a contemporary folk feel.One of the best things about being a rug hooker is telling people you are a “Hooker.” You get a laugh every time. I have been hooking for about 20 years now, having learned the craft in a continuing education class at a local high school. I have knit and sewn my whole life, and have a BFA in painting. Pictoral rug hooking brings my worlds of “art” and “craft” together. Although I have hooked many rugs for the floor, I enjoy making pictoral pieces for the wall. Changing the context from utility to decorative arts allows viewers to take their time and look at the image at eye level, to get to see the nuances of the craft more closely. traditional craft of rug hooking creates rugs by simply pulling loops of yarn or cut strips of fabric through a stiff woven base material such as burlap, linen, or rug warp. You only have to master one stitch: very simple. The backing is stretched over a frame or is hooped to maintain a tight, flat working area. The rug is worked in sections by re-stretching the backing to expose the next working area. The loops are pulled through the backing material using a crochet-type hook mounted in a handle (usually wood) for leverage. All loops and strip ends are pulled to the top side to keep the underside free from snags and to allow it to be durable, since rugs are meant to be walked on. It’s the sheer density of the loops that keeps the rug together." You can read the rest of this article when you click on the link. Congratulations Leslie!It's not what you think: Leslie Giuliani hooks rugs with a contemporary folk feel.One of the best thingsabout being a rug hookeare a “Hooker.” You get a laugh every time. I have been hooking for about 20 years now, having learned the craft in a continuing education class at a local high school. I have knit and sewn my whole life, and have a BFA in painting. Pictoral rug hooking brings my worlds of “art” and “craft” together. Although I have hooked many rugs for the floor, I enjoy making pictoral pieces for the wall. Changing the context from utility to decorative arts allows viewers to take their time and look at the image at eye level, to get to see the nuances of the craft more closely. traditional craft of rug hooking creates rugs by simply pulling loops of yarn or cut strips of fabric through a stiff woven base material such as burlap, linen, or rug warp. You only have to master one stitch: very simple. The backing is stretched over a frame or is hooped to maintain a tight, flat working area. The rug is worked in sections by re-stretching the backing to expose the next working area. The loops are pulled through the backing material using a crochet-type hook mounted in a handle (usually wood) for leverage. All loops and strip ends are pulled to the top side to keep the underside free from snags and to allow it to be durable, since rugs are meant to be walked on. It’s the sheer density of the loops that keeps the rug together." You can read the rest of this article when yArticle from Hand/Eye Magazine:"It's not what you think: Leslie Giuliani hooks rugs with a contemporary folk feel.One of the best things about being a rug hooker is telling people you are a “Hooker.” You get a laugh every time. I have been hooking for about 20 years now, having learned the craft in a continuing education class at a local high school. I have knit and sewn my whole life, and have a BFA in painting. Pictoral rug hooking brings my worlds of “art” and “craft” together. Although I have hooked many rugs for the floor, I enjoy making pictoral pieces for the wall. Changing the context from utility to decorative arts allows viewers to take their time and look at the image at eye level, to get to see the nuances of the craft more closely. traditional craft of rug hooking creates rugs by simply pulling loops of yarn or cut strips of fabric through a stiff woven base material such as burlap, linen, or rug warp. You only have to master one stitch: very simple. The backing is stretched over a frame or is hooped to maintain a tight, flat working area. The rug is worked in sections by re-stretching the backing to expose the next working area. The loops are pulled through the backing material using a crochet-type hook mounted in a handle (usually wood) for leverage. All loops and strip ends are pulled to the top side to keep the underside free from snags and to allow it to be durable, since rugs are meant to be walked on. It’s the sheer density of the loops that keeps the rug together." You can read the rest of this article when you click on the link. Congratulations Leslie!Article from Hand/Eye Magazine:"It's not what you think: Leslie Giuliani hooks rugs with a contemporary folk feel.One of the best things about being a rug hooker is telling people you are a “Hooker.” You get a laugh every time. I have been hooking for about 20 years now, having learned the craft in a continuing education class at a local high school. I have knit and sewn my whole life, and have a BFA in painting. Pictoral rug hooking brings my worlds of “art” and “craft” together. Although I have hooked many rugs for the floor, I enjoy making pictoral pieces for the wall. Changing the context from utility to decorative arts allows viewers to take their time and look at the image t eye level, to get to see the nuances of the craft more closely. The traditional craft of rug hooking creates rugs by simply pulling loops of yarn or cut strips of fabric through a stiff woven base material such as burlap, linen, or rug warp. You only have to master one stitch: very simple. The backing is stretched over a frame or is hooped to maintain a tight, flat working area. The rug is worked in sections by re-stretching the backing to expose the next working area. The loops are pulled through the backing material using a crochet-type hook mounted in a handle (usually wood) for leverage. All loops and strip ends are pulled to the top side to keep the underside free from snags and to allow it to be durable, since rugs are meant to be walked on. It’s the sheer density of the loops that keeps the rug together." You can read the rest of this article when you click on the link. Congratulations Leslie!

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

From Intuit, a new and very important exhibition


The Treasure of Ulysses Davis

February 12, 2010 - May 15, 2010

Opening Reception: Friday, February 12, 5-8pm

The Treasure of Ulysses Davis debuted at the High Museum in Atlanta and traveled to the American Folk Art Museum in New York and the Menello Museum of Art in Florida, before arriving in Chicago. Organized by Susan Crawley of the High Museum of Art in collaboration with the King-Tisdell Cottage Foundation of Savannah, Georgia, this retrospective features about 109 pieces, including 78 from the King-Tisdell Cottage Foundation, which acquired most of Davis’s work after he died, fulfilling his desire to keep his corpus intact. The title comes from Davis’s explanation of why he disliked parting with his work: “They’re my treasure. If I sold these, I’d be really poor." The exhibition will increase public knowledge of and appreciation for the work of this much admired but rarely seen sculptor.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Laura N. James, praying out loud



With an Antiguan heritage and a love for detail and storytelling, in the year 2000, Laura N. James made a spectacular group of paintings for a Book of Gospels , for the Roman Catholic Church. There is a diverse cast of characters represented, of all shades and nationalities, and the artwork is gorgeous! But this young New Yorker also paints Jazz figures which seduce the eye with their colors and movement, and her series, "Nannies and Other Mothers" grabs at your heart. Women who leave their own families far behind to come to the United States to care for the children of others is a powerful and often neglected subject. She handles it with a grace and compassion for all involved and the paintings are luscious.