About the Artist

Art is standing with one hand extended into the universe and one hand extended into the world, and letting ourselves be a conduit for passing energy. Albert Einstein

The Beginning

Rug hooking has the unique ability to serve both practical and inspirational needs. A final product can be as simple as a small mat to keep your feet warm as you get out of bed, or a wall hanging that transcends our mundane existence to nurture our souls. It has been a part of my life for the last 45 years more or less. My own journey in rug hooking arose out of purely practical need Although I was born and brought up in Boston, Massachusetts, I lived in Halifax, NS Canada in my mid twenties. As a new young bride in Halifax, far from home, I saw a hooked rug on the front of Woman’s Day Magazine. I was “hooked”. I learned to hook in a very traditional way with fine strips and much detail using a commercial pattern that depicted flowers and fruits, and scrolls and leaves.

After returning to live in New Hampshire, I had the great good fortune to become a student of Hallie Hall in Contoocook, NH. Under Hallie’s mentorship, I learned to look at the world around me in a new way, really examining the elements that something looks the way it. An accomplished artist herself, Hallie taught us about color and dyeing as well as many techniques for achieving a desired effect using narrow to wide cut wool. As we learned the discipline of hooking, we learned our craft using beautiful, subtle, muted colors and sophisticated color plans.  We studied flowers, fruits, geometrics, and landscapes, but most of all she inspired and instilled a love of the art of hooking.  My teachers were renowned for this style, and I worked hard to define my own style within this. Pieces I produced during this period are shown in the gallery. The “Memoria” rug demonstrates this style of accurately representing scrolls that twist and turn and flowers that curl outward, but with an artistic twist. The oak leaf and acorn stair runner was a commission done at this time using a more painterly approach.