While 2024 was a year for making fiber vessels, 2025 is quickly turning into the Year of Fiber Art Portraits!
By the way, if you’re new here, welcome. This isn’t just the first post of 2025, it’s the first post I’ve made in six months! I’ll try to be better, but to see what I’m up to on a daily basis, see my Instagram page. (For now; that could change, but I’ll let you know.)
Mid-project: Stitching up my mom.
Back to the portraits at hand. Last year, the Adobe Wool Arts Guild here in Albuquerque, began planning to host a 3-day workshop with Tammy Pavich for 2025. If you’re a hooker, you probably know of her. My favorite book of hers is HERE. We’re in the midst of full-out planning for the class right now, in fact, as it’ll happen in March. The topic? Impressionistic portraits. I’m still debating what to do: Bowyn? Tom? A selfie? Gotta get my sh*t together and let her know ASAP!
Meanwhile, In the Studio Online’s Workshop Week 2025 looms in less than two weeks from today. Yay! While I’m not teaching a class this year, I am the administrator of the school. Yes, there’s still plenty of work ahead of me making sure it all goes well. And, yes, there’s still time for you to register. Find the info HERE. As administrator, I can attend the classes and talks. Guess what Wendie Scott-Davis, instructor extraordinaire, is teaching? How about Creating a Value-Based Portrait from a Photograph. Yep, another hooked portrait! Again, to feature Tom or the dog???
BTW, Wendie’s opened a second session of that initially sold-out class for Saturday, March 8. Again, see the link above.
A couple of weeks ago, TextileArtist ran a free online workshop. I try to avail myself to all of their free classes when they happen. They’re that good. In fact, if I had more time and wasn’t soooo into rug hooking, I’d join their Stitch Club in a heartbeat. But I digress. The free workshop: Get Started with Stitched Portraits with Susie Vickery. Yep, more portraits, albeit stitched, not hooked. While I haven’t finished that project yet, I decided to do my mother. Sadly, she’s falling further into aphasia and frontotemporal dementia. I’m trying to grab what I can of her now. But it’s hard with her living back east in Connecticut and me here in the desert.
Lest you think I couldn’t find any more portraiture opportunities, you would be wrong. Most mornings I do yoga and various forms of PT (that ankle reconstruction last year really did a number on my whole lower body) to YouTube before I ever leave my bedroom. Want to know what showed up in my feed four days ago? The ladies of the Expressive Stitch Collective: Liz Bessel and Hayley Perry. If you haven’t tuned into them, you really should.
“Bowyn’s Mule” was hooked and sold last year. (21.5″x12″; hooked with repurposed textiles and wools on Scottish burlap)
While both are accomplished artists and teachers, they like to try new things and invite us to go along with them. Find their YouTube channel HERE. BTW, Hayley’s taught for In the Studio Online before and Liz will be participating in WW2025!
Anywho, the Expressive Stitch Collective is just beginning their first challenge of the year. Wild guess on what it is? Selfies! In your fiber art medium of choice. So, there’s that now too.
I’ve done animal portraits before but haven’t had the opportunity of a human face thrust upon me. Or even come up. Looks like the art gods are making up for that. It’s gonna be a longggg 2025 (for so many reasons, really). Portraits demand more of your time and attention. There’s choosing a medium, a style, drawing the face, colors, textures, backgrounds… The list goes on and on. At least I’ll be distracted this year. You can’t watch the news while you’re concentrating on getting someone’s face just right. Especially if it’s someone you know and love.
Hooked or stitched a portrait yet? Maybe we can show it off in the next post.
Bowyn was velcroed to me right from when I got home from having surgery. It’s been a long seven weeks for him too.
If you follow along on Instagram, you know that way back on March 11, I had ankle surgery. They cleaned out the detritus from bone-on-bone arthritis and tightened up my slacker ligaments. Sure, I’ve never broken or even sprained the ankle; I spent a lifetime walking all those turns off. I just didn’t realize how my ankle was being destroyed from inside.
Hence, there was a forced convalescence of sorts during those weeks. Initially, I had a big honker of a plaster cast on the left leg. A few days after feeling like I was going to bust that sucker open – swelling – they took it off and replaced it with a slightly smaller fiberglass cast. A week after that, the doc checked the wound and okayed another slightly smaller and bright purple cast. Crutches quickly gave way to Blue, my sweet, little knee scooter, and I became a bit more mobile.
Blue, my faithful steed through the seven week ordeal. Yes, I had to boost her pad with duct tape; it was deteriorating finally.
But while I wasn’t so mobile and had to keep the leg up pretty much all the time, I needed something to do. My ass was glued to the couch. Sadly, I’d finished a hooked piece right before I went under the knife, so I didn’t have that. But that hooking was an experiment. I was looking to create a kind of “vessel” with it. Before I had a chance to really think it all through, I picked up
Second of the stitches vessel. Wool and cotton fabrics, DMC flosses, baubles and buttons.
some tiny bits of “waste” wool and cotton, watched a little YouTube, then looked to make a kind of vessel out of them. It worked! So well, I went right on to stitch another one. Eventually, yadda yadda yadda, I got around to the hooked vessel and finished it. Now I’ve started stitching a new cotton one.
Sadly, during this time, we lost the original High on Hooking dog Tynan. He’d been slowly losing ground the past year and a half but was still very much a presence and always on the lookout for something to eat. We haven’t moved his bed out of the living room yet, and Bowyn studiously avoids it. But a bright spot arrived in the mail a week or two later. If you haven’t seen Kay LeFevre’s work, head over to her Facebook page. Within days of Tynan’s passing, Kay had created this incredible pillow in his likeness. Tom and I are incredibly touched by her kindness. You can read more about it in my Instagram post.
Such a wonderful tribute to Tynan, pillow by Kay LeFevre. It looks just like him! We miss you so much! (Hooking, embroidery, sequins, and so much more!)
Last year, long before I discovered I’d need surgery, I’d contracted with Interweaveto teach a couple of classes up at YarnFest in Loveland, Colorado, in April. Fortunately, I was able to schedule the ankle work between that and other classes here in New Mexico. So, Tom and I traveled up to Colorado a couple of weeks ago. Having a CRV-full of
On the road again. We were so lucky driving up to Loveland. Gorgeous weather. Snow on the mountains of New Mexico and Colorado. Great drive. Except for the fact that I have a cast on my leg.
frames and fibers and all the crap necessary to teaching both hooking and punch needle workshops, I definitely needed a sherpa. Sure, I could drive, but getting the STUFF from the house to the car to the hotel room to the classroom was more than I could handle with only one good leg. THANKS TO TOM, both classes were successes, and there are now fourteen more people in the world who can hook and/or punch. It’s all about spreading the fiber arts gospel!
New hooking student’s chicken project.Punch needle rug hooking project.
Working, working, working…
Meanwhile, I learned during the winter that I’d been accepted into an arts fellowship here in Albuquerque. Surprise and…YAY! ABQ peeps, this is what the Arts Hub is all about:
Arts Hub’s purpose is to unleash the power of the arts as a tool to engage the community, create solutions to urgent issues, and drive the creative economy.
The arts are a thriving part of Albuquerque’s culture and community, but artists continue to face barriers to work in this city. Besides a thriving arts community, sustainable artistic creation has an added benefit: it also sustains a class of creative problem solvers. Art is a powerful tool to engage community members and catalyze positive social change.
Consider applying for a fellowshipnext time around. It’s been truly edifying and a great way to make new connections, particularly outside of the fiber arts world. We’ve got two more meetings. Business plans are up next week!
First of the hooked vessels. All kinds of fibers on monk’s cloth.
So, while I’ve been mostly lying low, there have been bursts of activity the last seven weeks. But the best is tomorrow! Tomorrow morning at 10:40, the cast comes off! Yes, I’ve definitely been counting down. Seven weeks of dragging a cast around when you’re almost 60 is definitely a different animal than when you do it in your 20s. (Then it was a broken wrist.) My whole body is out of alignment despite doing yoga since after the first week (okay, with a butt-load of modifications).
After tomorrow comes the rebuilding. There will be physical therapy, for sure. Bowyn and I are both bursting to get back to our regular miles-long walks in the Bosque. But I know I can’t push it for a while. If the surgery didn’t work or I mess it up in the coming months due to unnecessary roughness (sorry, Tom’s watching the NFL draft behind me, and I do have my Patriots cap on), I’m looking at an ankle replacement. Collective shudder!
But enough about that, tomorrow is all about the giddiness of losing a couple of pounds of fiberglass and walking on two legs, albeit in a boot. And getting a pedicure! I’m planning on the giddiness freedom can bring me. Oh, and Tom taking me out to celebrate after I make my toes human pretty again.
Current stitched vessel project. This one is cottons rather than wools.
Yes, it’s been a long seven weeks, but now I can start looking to the future. The Patriots will draft an excellent quarterback, and, along with a new coach, we have a new lease on life… I digress. Nah, really, I’m looking forward to getting back to my walking and hiking with Bowyn, especially now that he’s an only dog… I’m having fun with this vessel phase I find myself in… I’m loving where teaching has been taking me. Colorado this month, Convergence in Wichita in July. (FYI – class is almost full!) And more to come! Keep an eye on our calendar and social media.
Going along, collaborations are on my mind. I love the hooking community, but there’s an even bigger fiber arts and mixed media arts community(s) out there. Given all the issues challenging our shared world these days, I think it’ll take everyone jumping in together to get messages out and find solutions. It’s time to mix it up and work out of the box.
Also taking up my time – planning for In the Studio Online’s Workshop Week 2025. You’re hearing it here first; we’ve decided on the dates: February 6-16. So, mark it in your calendars and keep an eye out here and on our shared social media for details. For info about WW2024, see HERE.
Finally, got a piece drawn and started to hook, so we do have a WHAT’S ON THE FRAME. Wool fabrics and yarns, repurposed textiles on monk’s cloth.
I give my sincere and profound THANKS to all of you who have kept my spirits up these seven weeks. To those who expressed their dismay and sympathy when we lost Tynan, especially Kay. To my students who had to deal with my wheeling about the classroom rather than easily moving back and forth to help. THANK YOU! And I’ll toast everyone of you tomorrow while I’m out celebrating. You all have a great weekend too!
On March 28, after celebrating his 16th birthday, Tynan, the original High on Hooking Dog, left us for a place of eternal food on demand and no more pain. To say that we’re sad here is an understatement.
RIP, buddy. We miss you!
Tynanwas the last of his litter of eight. He celebrated his birthday with kielbasa, Costco chocolate mousse cake, and treats brought to him by his fan girls. All were eaten with gusto. While his back legs had given out (the night before), his stomach and his heart had not.
A gentleman his entire life, Tynan had adventures. Initially, in Massachusetts, with big brother Murphy, and later, here in New Mexico, with Bowyn.
Again, we thank Faye of Ivywild Welsh Springer Spaniels in Connecticut with entrusting this special dog to us all those years ago.
Bowyn’s been cooped up during these Covid weeks, scoring only a few short walks around the neighborhood. Still, he wanted in on the sweater photo. And a treat. This dog is a whore!
Sadly, the day after Easter, Covid darkened the Salamy home. Unfortunately, that also meant that three of our holiday dinner guests received a “souvenir,” and I’m not talking leftovers. Thankfully, they’ve all tested negative again this week. Tom and I, however, are still stuck at home with a case of rebound Covid. Seems like double jeopardy to me. At least, this week’s been more like a bad cold with congestion and runny noses rather than the sore throat, chills, and terrible fatigue of earlier in the duration.
The worst thing was that first week when I couldn’t really concentrate on anything. Forget hooking and the Yearlong Environmental Stitching project (YESP). Because I thought I had plenty of time till Sketchbook Revival 2023 closed on April 20, I’d held off doing all the sessions, planning on a leisurely pace. Yeah, that didn’t happen either. The sweater I’ve been crocheting. Nope. No books started or finished either.
But this week’s been different. I’ve actually gotten some things done and even attended a meeting on Zoom. I started a new novel and am almost halfway through it. I’ll finish the second sleeve on the sweater tonight. The Sketchbook Revival workshop I was most looking forward to didn’t involve a sketchbook at all but was about stitching! Emma Freeman presented MAKE SLOW STITCHED WABI SABI FABRIC SCROLLS. Most happily, mark-making comes in many forms as does experimentation.
No hooking’s happened in two weeks, but not just because of Covid. The reality is that I was bogged down on a project that wasn’t working the way I anticipated, so it’s back to the drawing board to rethink it or another design.
Although I’m still finishing up with some beads and maybe more stitching, here’s the wabi sabi scroll I started in Sketchbook Revival 2023.
Meanwhile tomorrow is Earth Day, something I always try to celebrate in some fashion or another. Taking environmental care is one of the main bases of my artwork be it upcycling all kinds of textiles for hooking or scavenging the news for stories to represent in the YESP. What I find saddest about our troubled natural environment is that we have the technology to do something about it; we just lack the communal and political will. And for that coming generations will suffer. USA Today had a article about what 2050 could be like. Sadly, I fear it’s more of a pipedream than anything else.
Nonetheless, a girl can hope even if she lives in the desert during a prolonged, 30-year drought. In the meantime, I’ll try to take shorter showers and use less paper towels. Some habits are difficult to break, I know. But till this Covid thing exits my house, I guarantee that the tissues will keep piling up .
Welcome to the first day of spring! Not that it’s felt that way here in Albuquerque. It’s been in the 40s and raw the past few days. Very unusual, though we have had some warmer, blustery days for sure this month. And the rain (and snow last week) is always welcome given our drought situation.
You might’ve seen on the WELCOME page of my website, I’ve had a crazy, busy winter. My plan in January had been to extract myself from some of my “busy-ness” so that I could spend more time on my own art and explore the various ideas rolling around my head. I come up with so many plans in the shower (where I think best); then my day starts and the plans are lost. Now winter has come and gone. I refuse to lose the spring too.
Fortunately for me on this first day of spring, of renewal, I get a helping hand. Sketchbook Revival starts today. It’s a FREE, almost two-week long, online program of workshops designed to “help you feel inspired, energized, and revived.” Founder Karen Abend invites artists from all over the world to teach each workshop. Two are offered each day. You can do all of them or skip one here and there as you choose. If like me, you find life interrupts and you miss a class, you can access everything for a couple of weeks after the last workshops are published. That also means that you can join the program after it begins. And if you don’t have all the recommended supplies, no worries. You can wait a day or just use whatever you have on hand. If you’re interested, find info HERE.
By the way, I’ve written about Sketchbook Revival before. Find that post HERE. And it goes without saying, the more I play in my sketchbooks, the more likely I am to come up with interesting hooked art.
Tynan and Bowyn present WHAT’S ON THE FRAME this week. And they wish you HAPPY SPRING!
In that vein, I started a new piece the other day. It’s small, as I’m not sure how well it’ll look on the monk’s cloth. Hell, I don’t even have a good picture of it in my head! But it’s all about experimenting and process for me. Well, mostly. Like everyone, I like to like what I create. LOL. Tynan and Bowyn present it in the photo.
A word about Tynan. He’s really slowed down this past fall and winter. His deafness is profound, and he’s rather wobbly, but he’s still enthusiastic about his food, any food really. Thank goodness for doggie diapers, though in his presence they are “man wraps.” The good thing is that next week he celebrates his 15th birthday. Watch for him and his celebration on our social media.
