DESCRIPTION:
This Retreat is tailored to the fiber artist who is interested in hooking their first abstract, but also wants to step out of their comfort zone of hooking printed patterns. Someone who is looking for a “vreative Break!”
The Retreat will begin with a presentation of Charlie’s hooking evolution towards these geometrical whimsies and the importance that other mediums play in his rug planning. Charlie will guide students as they brainstorm and draft out their own ideas for an abstract project. Sketchbooks and daily drawing are cornerstones of Charlie’s practice and he will show you a few computer programs you can use, but will also show you his analog sketchbooks - to give you an idea of what he goes through to develop his ideas.
It will be up to each student on how they use the 3 specific shapes (circle, rectangle and triangle) confined into a specific space – a creative challenge within your own personal process and constraints. Your vision will dictate how to manipulate and interpret the shapes and color choices.
Charlie will show you how to transfer your sketch onto a 10” x 12” piece of linen, that he will provide. But keep in mind, Abstracts make great series projects. Charlie will bring extra prepared linen available for purchase, for those contemplating series.
Charlie is a thrifter, he doesn’t buy much new wool. Throughout the week, he will be diving deeper into his thrifting process to gather wool, and how that affects his color choice and style. He will also give an in-class demonstration of tearing apart a jacket and how he processes this into usable wool. Students can bring a jacket to tear apart and follow along as he shows you his step-by-step process! He will also talk about the limitations and pitfalls that introducing unknown wool into your house can bring, and how to safeguard your stash from contamination and other maladies.
Note: Please keep in mind he is not a wool vendor so bring wool (for your project & extra to share, if you can) or be prepared to buy some from the vendors at Rug Hooking Week.
Charlie recommends using a mixture of cut sizes: #6 cuts for the majority of the work, and #3 cuts for lines. He also suggests bringing a nice stash of colorful and also dark wool (for contrast).
This is a great Retreat for someone who wants to get better at hooking basics (straight lines, turning corners, hooking circles), and explore design basics to create an original piece of art! He will also cover finishing techniques and display options.
Charlie looks forward to sharing his process and passion with you, and steering you toward creating your own fantastic abstract piece. Disclaimer: Thelonious Monk will be played during the brainstorming sessions.
Goals:
To learn design basics and how they apply to abstract art
To design something unique
To produce a unique piece of artwork
To become familiar with upcycling fabric
To have fun!