Georgia O'Keefe Archives – HIGH ON HOOKING

Summer arrived just this week along with the kind of “work” that seems tailor made for her. Ah, but what is the work of summer?

By rights – thinking back to when we were kids having escaped school for two months – there should be less work in summer. For High on Hooking, that will indeed be the case in some respect. Unfortunately, Ghost Ranch (see this post) postponed our workshop there till the spring. Boo to you, Covid! I was really looking forward to it, but there is a silver lining. It’s been SIZZLING here in New Mexico for a few weeks. Last week we hit 108 degrees here on the West Side of Albuquerque! Hiking will be better in the spring. I’ll post more information as we get closer to the workshop. In the meantime, think of how fabulous it will be to do fiber art in Georgia O’Keeffe‘s special milieu, her querencia.

querencia

The place where one’s strength is drawn from; where one feels at home; the place where you are your most authentic self.

There have been a few places in my life when I’ve felt what the Spanish call querencia. In fact, it’s why I wanted to move to the Southwest. It’s definitely something I understand about O’Keeffe.

Given the change of plans, I find that I have more time on my hands to do my own work. Frankly, this calls for some serious rejoicing as this year I’ve been working A LOT on things that I’ve HAD TO DO. I haven’t even put many new items into the Etsy shop! Sure, I chose to teach and to make the New Mexico cushion for the USA50 project. The latter took longer than anticipated, working with all wool yarn. Beautiful, but itchy wool yarn after a while. Friend Ruth has the piece at the moment as she’s converting it from the hooking to the actual cushion. Pics in the next post; I promise. It’s beautiful, and even better, it has a good story.

To me the work of summer is “lighter” than that that I think to do come October and as winter starts to blow in. Fortunately, that coincides well with the “happy rug series” (#happyrugseries) I informally started earlier in the year to combat the “heaviness” of Covid and the entire year of 2020. Sadly, between gun violence and the continued stupidity of US politics, 2021 hasn’t been much happier. BUT, given our vaccination rates here in New Mexico, life is looking much more “normal” than it did a year ago. WOOHOO!

Current projects…

Hooked rug, work of summer — ABUNDANCE, part of the #happyrugseries.

Still finishing up ABUNDANCE, the latest and largest so far in the #happyrugseries. I’ve hit a little snag, as she’s hooked with all kinds of fibers that aren’t the easiest to put a needle and thread into. Worse, there are holes built into her, so a lot of perimeter work to do. Worst, Bowyn was going crazy for rabbit scents on a walk last night so I let him run in the park. Unfortunately, my right ring finger got caught in the leash as he took off. Ouch! I won’t be wearing any rings on that finger for awhile. Fortunately, if I take the little brace off, I can still hook.

Friday, as soon as I finished hooking the NM cushion, I drew up a small, geomtric-ish pattern so that I’d have something to work on that evening while Tom ran a summertime, “Arnold” action movie for us to watch on the TV. Given all the environmental issues we’re facing these days – drought, climate change, wildfires, plastic in the ocean – I decided to hook the piece with old plastic bags. Having already hooked a larger such piece, I’d kept the most colorful bags I had. Despite the heavy environmental theme, I’m hoping the piece will still make me – and others – smile. And just maybe curb our use of plastic bags some.

I’m also getting ready to tackle some new-to-me techniques, that is, NOT rug hooking! I’ll let you know how that goes, but right now I aim to explore a bit on my own. Then there’s an article or two that need writing. While the work might be lighter in summer, there’s no lack of it!

July also brings a road trip back East. Various folks were supposed to come visit here last fall, but…you guessed it…stupid Covid. So, having not seen family in a couple of years, it’s time. Bring on the seafood! This time around, Bowyn will man the Instagram account. Tynan, 13, will stay home and keep the hearth fires warm.

Hooked rug and Bowyn a Welsh Springer spaniel — Tynan let Bowyn handle WHAT’S ON THE FRAME today. (Nonetheless, he demanded a treat as a finder’s fee.) No name yet, but it’s being hooked with plastic bags that WILL NEVER SEE THE OCEAN!

What’s your work this summer? Perhaps it’s to concentrate on family and friends, the return to life with others? YES! Enjoy.

Balloons are dropping in all over the city this week.

First of all, let me apologize for the lack of hooking news and fun these past few weeks, but this moving thing is truly a pain in the patootie. There are still unpacked boxes not so stylishly decorating the house. We can’t find all our stuff…because it’s probably hiding in the aforementioned boxes. Lamps! I’d kill for more of my lamps. And don’t even start me on the need to get bookshelves. Then there’s the busy-work: finding doctors that we need asap; running to Lowes to buy a new dishwasher (the one that came with the house pools alarmingly when not in use); locating the local grocery stores; and our personal favorite, teaching the kid to drive. Today was my turn. She did okay, though we do apologize to the honking car next to us at that one light; she did swing r-e-a-l-ly wide to the right to make a left turn. She’ll do better next time; I promise. Not!

Damn little camera on my phone. You probably can't see the hundreds of balloons at different levels participating in mass ascension. (Better photos after we head to the Fiesta field.) In the meantime, see the Rio Grande there - okay, not looking all that grand - some balloons swoop down from the sky and do a "splash and dash." Very cool. I learned more from one of the hookers in my guild; she and her husband work a balloon's chase crew. — Damn little camera on my phone. You probably can’t see the hundreds of balloons at different levels participating in mass ascension. (Better photos after we head to the Fiesta field.) In the meantime, see the Rio Grande there – okay, not looking all that grand – some balloons swoop down from the sky and do a “splash and dash.” Very cool. I learned that term from one of the hookers in my guild; she and her husband work a balloon’s chase crew.

Not that there haven’t been the fun moments. Our hopes were great after that pre-fiesta balloon landed behind our house last week. Now we’re deep in Albuquerque’s famed Balloon Fiesta. We humped up the hill to the neighboring Catholic high school – which happens to have a great view – and watched the first “mass ascension.” (Okay, fellow Catholic peeps, the ballooning term “mass ascension” is nothing but a coincidence. Ironic though. Maybe they could’ve gone with “the Rapture,” but I digress.) Tom and I will head to the fiesta tomorrow in the early, early 50-degree morning. We’ll be right on the field, phones/cameras in hand. How I wish I had a really good camera…

And I have been hooking; most evenings, in fact. I finished hooking, though not blocking and such, my rug-sized New Mexico mat that will eventually grace the floor somewhere in the new house. Now I’m working on a table runner: t-shirts and some gossamer, chiffonny fabrics. Going for a different texture. I got to work on it at a hooking demonstration with my new Adobe Wool Arts guild just yesterday at the BioPark Botanic Gardens. I’d love to share some photos of this (insert long face here) – I even brought my phone.camera and planned on it – but we were so busy chatting with one another and visitors, that I plumb forgot…till we were packing up. Next time, I promise!

Georgia O'Keefe's Petunia No. 2, 1924. — Georgia O’Keefe’s “*Petunia No. 2*,” 1924.

Another highlight this week: a visit to the Georgia O’Keefe Museum in Santa Fe. It’s taken me two vacations to the area and a final move to make it there, but Friday was the perfect time. Tom’s niece – an artsy type, too, with good taste – was in town and also wanted to see it. There was an American Modernist exhibit going on with O’Keefe’s and others’ work represented. Excellent! Oh, and the street food on Santa Fe’s plaza was fabulous.

Alexander Archipenko's Woman with a Fan, 1958. — Alexander Archipenko‘s “*Woman with a Fan*,” 1958.

So, while this moving thing’s a bitch, we managed to tame her for a bit and just enjoy the area. Hey, it’s why we moved here. So far, no regrets, and that’s all that matters.

PS – How do you other bloggers remind yourselves to take pics when you’re all agog listening to stories and looking at beautiful things? Tell me the secret!

My favorite piece, I think. (I reserve the right to change my mind, of course.) O'Keefe's Pond in the Woods, 1922. — My favorite piece, I think. (I reserve the right to change my mind, of course.) O’Keefe’s “*Pond in the Woods*,” 1922.

HIGH ON HOOKING

Tag: Georgia O’Keefe

The work of summer

This moving thing’s a bitch and a busy one at that