If you’re in Albuquerque this summer and can get thee to the Fabric of New Mexico textile arts exhibit, get thee there for sure! It’s a très classy show. Below you’ll find some highlights from the opening night reception.
“This exhibit stretches the limits of fiber art to celebrate the full range of innovative creativity in fabric, including quilting, macramé, embroidery, rug hooking, and work with plastics, paper, metal, and wire. Curated by artist Martin Terry as part of the Two Moons exhibit series, the Fabric of New Mexico [includes] over 20 contemporary fiber artists working in New Mexico today.”
Find the full schedule of related events including fiber art workshops and demos at FUSIONnm.org. More info HERE.
Three of my pieces are in the Fabric of New Mexico show: WHIMSY up above, HOLES, and a couple of segments from the RIBBON RUG JOURNAL.
Several mixed media pieces by Kathryn Lazier.Kathryn Lazier’s GREENMAN (felt; fabrics; yarn; dyed, moldable batting; machine and hand stitching; fabric stiffener)
BALLET FOLKLORICO OUTFIT / TRADITIONAL CHIAPAS TOP AND SKIRT provided by Sally Moon of W!ild Moon; handmade in Chiapas, Mexico.
LA CHURRITA with maker Vivienne Riggio. (Papier mache head and horns; raw churro sheep’s wool; upcycled textiles and necklace.)
MISSING by Carol Sullivan (Wooden disc; milk carton with typing; wooden stick with smooth, multicolored cotton; twine; beige suede; red permanent marker; crystals; bone mutton; various findings; red suede; metal wolf; black permanent marker on white cotton; feathers; gold pin; red bandana; gold pin; acrylic batting.)
WEAVING THROUGH TIME by Sara Miller. (Acrylic paint; wool felt; cotton fabric; wool and silk roving; rayon thread.)
DAY by Mika Maloney. (Merino wool yarn (with cotton/poly cord); scrap leather; dried flowers on driftwood.)
AUTUMN LEAVES by Terri Lagerway. (Weaving on branch.)
BEE PEACEFUL by Patricia Halloran. (Wire; wet and needle felted wool felt; embroidery floss; recycled cotton backing and stuffing.)
WAVES by Maria Jonsson. (Recycled metal; magnet wire.)
SIPHONOPHORE by Betty Busby. (Artit overpainted cotton batik; machine stitching; artist painted linen; cotton knit; EVA foam; paint marker; hand stitchin with perle cotton thread.)
FANTASY GARDEN, freeform crochet, by members of the New Mexico Crochet Guild.ALCHEMY (part of a pair) by Laurie McCann. (Wire grid and wire mesh; Chinese pot lids; yarn; coins.)JELLIES (part of a pair) by Laurie McCann. (Wire grid and wire mesh; Chinese pot lids; yarn; coins.)
And lastly, WHY NOT GO OUT ON A LIMB by Molly Mooney. Tom and I liked this one soooo much that we’re purchasing it. It’s going to look perfect in our living room, currently dominated by a large TV. (Found tree branch; hand-dyed wool fiber; found and repurposed bells; beads and ceramic pieces; sari fabrics; ribbons.)
It starts next Thursday, April 14, and runs through Saturday. Make sure you stop by the Adobe Wool Arts Guild booth to say hello and check out the hooked art made by our members.
High on Hooking is excited to report that WHIMSY was selected to be in this year’s ART AT THE ABBEY exhibition “One Heart, One Mind.” The show starts tomorrow, Thursday, October 14.
Art at the Abbey invites you to experience our 6th Annual Art Exhibition, “ONE HEART, ONE MIND,” opening on Thursday, October 14th and closing on Friday, November 5th at Santa Maria de la Vid Abbey in Albuquerque’s South Valley. This exhibition is held in memory of Rev. Graham R. Golden, O. Praem. (January 8, 1986 – May 21, 2021) and will also serve to celebrate this 900th Anniversary Year of the Norbertine Order (founded December 25, 1121).
Be sure to check out the Digital/Performance Art during your visit, showing in the Library Seminar Room. If the video is not showing, you may find it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9FDoBMJsJk. The full video running time is 16 minutes, 58 seconds. It will close with an excerpt of a homily by Fr. Graham Golden, O. Praem. from August 19, 2018.
For those who are not local or aware, Father Golden was killed when another vehicle hit his car in May, devastating the Albuquerque area community. While I never met him in person, an artist himself, he befriended me on Instagram, complimented my artwork, and asked me to submit to the Art in the Abbey show back in 2019.
If you can’t make it to Albuquerque and the show, the 2021 Exhibition Booklet can be seen HERE.
OPEN FOR VIEWING:
WHIMSY was hooked with old bed sheets and t-shirts on monk’s cloth. Beads complete her. She’s part of the #happyrugseries.
Thursday, October 14 | 6:00pm-8:30pm
Sunday, October 17 | 10:00am-12:00pm
Sunday, October 24 | 10:00am-12:00pm
Friday, November 5 | 6:00pm-8:30pm
(These dates/times may be subject to change)
LOCATION:
Santa Maria de la Vid Abbey
The Norbertine Library & The Church of Santa Maria de la Vid
5825 Coors Blvd. SW
Albuquerque, NM 87121
I hope that you can make it to the ART AT THE ABBY exhibit!
If you’re in need for a little more color, the boys bring you this week’s WHAT’S ON THE FRAME. It is pumpkin season, even here in the high desert of New Mexico. In fact, fall really blew in these past few days. I woke up to 32°F this morning! The boys love cold weather, so they’re very excited.
Do not mistake their intensity for enthusiasm regarding their High on Hooking Dog job. No, all they want is the dental treat. This is NOT a job well done. (The pumpkin was designed by friend and guild mate Darlene Nelson. It’s hooked using all kinds of things: old silk blouses and ties; t-shirts and bed sheets; and wool yarn and a few strips.)
Public service announcements, odd from an art blog, I know. But still genuine.
PSA 1: Blepharitis, don’t let it happen to you.
PSA 1
You know when they say that you should throw out old makeup? Eye makeup, in particular? Yeah, it’s true. You go almost a whole year NOT going out, NOT needing to wear the usual make up (because God was cruel to redheads and caused our eyes and eyelashes to recede as we age). Who cared? No one was going to see you. And then you finally get a date early-bird-special evening/afternoon with your husband. You put on some mascara to go with your best yoga pants to have truly excellent gluten-free pizza at Farina Alto (in Albuquerque). You plan on, even try sitting on the patio, but the freaking wind is too strong. It’s 4:00 pm; there’s barely anyone in the restaurant, so you chance it and move inside. The pizza, the wine, they’re all great! And then a day later, your eye starts to twinge, then redden, then swell. Where’s an pyrate’s eye patch when you need it? By early Tuesday morning you’re in the urgent care located conveniently up the street. BLEPHARITIS, they say. WTF? Swelling of the eyelid. Who knew? The people who say to change out your old mascara knew. Stupid blepharitis, stupid coronacootie. Public service announcement 1: Chuck all makeup from 2020 and before; buy new shit even if you rarely wear it (and it looks practically new)!
PSA 2
If you’re working on a particularly difficult rug or painting or short story or other piece of artwork, always have something else requiring less concentration that you can work on in the evening.
PSA2 : Always have a rug that needs less concentration.
I typically work at night while I watch television or Netflix or whatever. Otherwise I’ll fall asleep. (I know you get this.) A couple of weeks ago, I started a piece, a wall hanging, that requires good light and my full attention. That means day-hooking. Not that I’m against day-hooking; actually, I love it. In fact, I really miss the Adobe Wool Arts Guild‘s three annual retreats, one of which usually happens at this time of year. I can hook all day long for three days in a row and get assistance when I need it from all my AWAG peeps. Sadly, our last retreat was in February of last year. Again, stupid Covid. Now I have to deal with this rug on my own. I miss you guys… Public service announcement 2: Work on your more difficult pieces during the day; save the fun, easier stuff for evening.
PSA 3: All rugs need a good forever home, including “Whimsy” (approximately 15″x36″).
PSA 3
Some rugs need a home. Yeah, this is completely self-serving. “Whimsy” is finished and looking for her forever home. And yes, in the pre-pictures on Instagram and Facebook, I did hide that she has a hole built into her. But that’s just part of her charm. Consider giving “Whimsy” a home. Public service announcement 3: All rugs need a home. Don’t let them suffer.
That brings us to the end of the PSAs. Though don’t forget that on March 20, High on Hooking is holding another online workshop: Hooking With and Beyond the Wool. If you’re interested in playing with fibers other than wool (much like those original rug hookers), contact me at Laura@highonhooking.com. It’ll be fun; I promise. Now keep hooking, or otherwise playing, and stay safe! We’re so close to being able to achieve herd immunity. Vaccinate!
Instead of “What’s on the frame,” we have a public service announcements corollary. Never ask Bowyn to be serious in the evening. His concentration, like my own, is shot. Tynan, meanwhile, is properly aghast.
As I promised the other day, here is High on Hooking’s annual angel for the coming year. Because last year’s “Angel of 2020 Prays Very, Very Hard” clearly did NOT pray hard enough, this year’s celestial being had to be a bit more…forceful. Enter “The Angel of 2021 – Notorious” who has arrived to kick 2020 ‘s butt to the curb. “Notorious” sports a hand-crocheted jabot as well as wire-rim glasses. In each corner of the piece is a symbol of RBG’s life: scales of justice; a courthouse; the sign for equality; and the spiral of life. That last item can be found on the petroglyphs here in New Mexico where the great lady spent a significant part of the year.
This is a card featuring “The Angel of 2020 Who Prays Very, Very Hard.” She sold right away last year, but she clearly needed some better prayers.
“Notorious” is 22.5 inches by 16.5 inches. She was hooked on my usual monk’s cloth using: wool yarn, wool strips, and ribbons.
A close-up of “Notorious”
I’d like to say that she’s available, but she sold almost as soon as I loaded her up into the Etsy shop. (I still can’t get over that!) The base angel pattern is available to be drawn up on request (linen, monk’s cloth, or rug warp). Email me if you’re interested.
Along with the “Angel of 2021 – Notorious,” I wish us all a much brighter and happier 2021.
