ARTIST’S STATEMENT
I fell into rug hooking completely by accident after I took a community ed class on a lark. Then I fell in love:
- With the colors I use to fill in the lines I draw across the monk’s cloth backing;
- With the textures created by loops of fabric, yarns, and other materials; and
- With finishing a piece that is beautiful, unique, and often functional as well.
My boldly hued pieces are a little “not so traditional,” that is, they aren’t necessarily fashioned using only woolen strips or yarn. I prefer to “up-cycle” my materials from old textiles, especially t-shirts and bed sheets. Cutting cloth strips by hand to a fairly broad width gives each mat a bit of a rustic and bulky charm, creating something you can really sink your toes into.
And I’m not afraid to add some funky ribbon or even a little “blingy hardware,” particularly if the piece is destined to hang on a wall.
Current work includes rugs, table mats and runners, pillows, bench covers, and wall hangings. Suitability for use as a rug on the floor depends on the materials used to hook the piece. I produce my own designs, but can also work from a customer’s drawing. Or perhaps their child’s drawing. My design inspirations come from almost anywhere: New Mexico’s rock formations, a painting, a wine bottle label, the sky, magazine ads, even the inside of a red cabbage!
Laura Salamy, who is truly high on hooking