Q and A with AGNS

Hope you all had a lovely holiday....Judy is a few pounds up but she is quite certain there is something wrong with the scale.
This is a little interview I did with AGNS for Terroir...and.. I will have my "10 Intriguing Canadian Hookers" list done for tomorrow.
https://artgalleryofnovascotia.ca/…/terroir-qa-series-laura…

Merry Christmas

Have a lovely Christmas.
Thank you so much for your support this year...it means a lot.
xoxoxox

Terroir

Looking for a book for your coffee table?
Interested in what is going on in art in Nova Scotia?
Do you like Judy?
She is in this lovely catalog along with some very fine artists in Nova Scotia.
JUDY IS DOING A HAPPY DANCE

https://shop.artgalleryofnovascotia.ca/…/terroir-a-nova-sco…

Judy couldn't find the star so she improvised.

                                                   Just have to do the finishing!

Working on..."Judy couldn't find the star for the tree so she improvised".

Visual Voice Fine Art

I will have three smallish rugs in this show at Visual Voice Fine Art in Truro.
And...I have some lovely rugs at Harvest Gallery in Wolfville.
And....I have a couple at the Designer Craft Shop in Halifax.
And...I am afraid I won't be doing the Designer Christmas Show at the Cunard Centre this year as I am busy getting ready for a show that is happening in Newfoundland in the summer.
RUGS...RUGS...RUGS.

Fiber Art Now

Fiber Art Now was kind and posted a recent rug of mine on their facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/FiberArtNow/?hc_ref=PAGES_TIMELINE

Trump won.

On the floor colour sorting sari-ribbon

This seems like a good way to spend my morning..colour sorting sari-ribbon.
I have been meaning to do it for awhile.
But, it's hard for me to leave rug making.

Family Fun Day at AGNS

Tomorrow!

https://www.artgalleryofnovascotia.ca/events-programs/family-sunday-terroir-make-your-mark

Rugs off to Harvest Gallery.

These fellas will be making their way to Harvest Gallery tomorrow...if you see something you fancy, please get in touch with Simone or Lynda...thanks!

http://www.harvestgallery.ca/

Reminder....Talk at AGNS

https://www.facebook.com/ArtGalleryNS/?hc_ref=NEWSFEED

Home Economics: 150 Years of Canadian Rug Hooking

I went to the curator's talk yesterday...dragging my two children as Dad was away for a conference. They loaded up at the snack table and were very happy and I got out my notebook and took notes as fast as I could as Roxanne spoke.

Roxane Shaughnessy, Textile Museum of Canada, gave a great overview of rug hooking...in  Canada..over the last 150 years... from the pioneer days to the cottage industries in Grenfell and Cheticamp to the contemporary rugs.
  
There were a couple of things that she said that will probably show up in a rug or two:
unknown makers...cottage industries rising from the constant economic crisis in the East...matting season...Gagetown Hookers..and Florence Ryder.

There was a time for questions at the end of the talk and I asked Roxane, "There is a big debate in the rug hooking world as to whether rug hooking is art or craft and what do you think...is rug hooking art or craft?".... Roxane answered..."art"... and she very cleverly didn't elaborate.

After the talk, I took a peak around and spent most of the time on the top floor where the contemporary rugs were located. These rugs caught my attention as I felt the artists were trying to tell me something and I wanted to take the time and figure out what they had to say.

It was interesting for me to see where I fit in with the history and I am quite happy to be carrying on the tradition...I have no choice really.



The show is on till Nov 6th at the MSVU Art Gallery in Bedford, NS.

Roxane Shaughnessy

Yvonne Mullock with Mary Francis

Deanne Fitzpatrick

Joanne Close, Barabara Klunder, Nancy Edell

Hanna Epstein

Home Economics: MSVU Art Gallery

Tomorrow!

REMINDER: this Saturday, 24 September at 2pm
Visiting Curator’s Talk
In conjunction with the exhibition Home Economics: 150 Years of Canadian Hooked Rugs, Roxane Shaughnessy, Curator at the Textile Museum of Canada, will speak about hooked rugs and the cottage industry over the last 150 years in Canada.

Refreshments will be served.

https://www.facebook.com/MSVUArtGallery/?pnref=story

Artist Talk

https://artgalleryofnovascotia.ca/events-programs/terroir-talk-artists-laura-kenney-steven-rhude

The Very Best Folks I Know

The Very Best Folks I Know with Steven Rhude, Ian Gilson, Geoff Butler to name a few...and ME is on till Sept. 4th...check it out.

http://www.harvestgallery.ca/index.php

House of Film

Ok..sooooo...Steven Rhude made a cool painting of a house..in need of repair..to say the least.. and he titled it "House of Film...and frig, I can't remember the rest of the title...anyways..Steven was referring to Stephen McNeil's film credit cut error and then he asked how I thought Judy would react and if you don't know who Judy is..well..me neither.. and then I said she would grab a broom and get to work and Steven said hook it..and I said ok..even though I was scared but I did it and here it is. :)..holy run on sentence.

Terroir

Steven Rhude wrote a lovely piece on Terroir.

http://srhude.blogspot.ca/2016/08/terroir-turning-water-into-wine.html

NS Folk Art Festival 2016

  Joe Winters was the poster artist this year and it is quite an honour to be chosen. His art is on the poster ..of course, and he has the privilege of having the best table in the arena to display his work and the Lunenburg Hertiage Society purchases the piece that is displayed in the poster...it's all good, but...it's not,  Joe passed away in February of 2016. I didn't know Joe that well but I could tell he was the real deal.. a true folk artist. I could tell by the way he talked to the collectors at the festival and I could tell by his work, like Chris Huntington says, "It (folk art) has a life of its own or it doesn't"....and Joe's work had life.

I spoke to Marilyn, Joe's wife, about him and she said he loved making folk art. He was into "dumpster diving" as he liked the idea of using recycled materials for his work. She said one of his favourite pieces he made was the Louis St. Laurent, an ice breaker that Joe was commissioned to create. He also made a mural of Lunenburg and was known for the "Little People" carvings at the White Point Lodge.

 David Stephens, a fellow artist and friend said:

 I think Joe's art creations were drawn from a range of influences, with an emphasis on his time spent as a sailor in the Royal Canadian Navy, then as a civilian, "Dockyard Matey" at the Navy Dockyard, and later as a house painter. He was able to draw on a vast range of experiences, skills, talents and abilities, which shone through in his work, from the primary execution of the piece, right down to the details and the finished painting. He truly was a "wizard in wood".... Joe had that special something which made him and his work unique, and that is the indescribable ability to take in the world around him, and to express what he saw and experienced in a way that enabled him to share his thoughts and his humour with an appreciative audience....He was forever humble and down-to-earth, the genuine article, who never tolerated bullshit. Joe always managed to see the bright side of life and events. So very much of that was also down to his best friend, his life companion, his dear, loving wife, Marilyn. I always looked forward to catching up with both of them at festival time, to see what was new, particularly what colour Marilyn had dyed her hair - or what they may have added to their art van, and to their hot pink Hummer. They were a team - but most importantly, they were a loving couple, so very much in peace and harmony - always with a smile, a joke, and a laugh to share, to help brighten up the world around them. He will be missed.

I asked Marilyn if there was a gallery carrying Joe's work and she said,  "No, what I have on the table is what is left." On the table was an unfinished piece. Joe had plans to make a painting as a  tribute to David Stephens but wasn't able to complete it. I asked David if he would finish it ..he replied, "No..too hard."

Marilyn gave me a copy of Joe's obituary and what gave me a lump in my throat was at the end it said, "In memory of Joe's creativity, it is requested those attending on Saturday, please wear bright colours."

Extra Festive

Whoa nellie..the Nova Scotia Folk Art Festival seemed extra festive this year. A big thanks to the volunteers, buyers and artists..you people are the cat's meow.

Make America a Pussy Again

"Make America a Pussy Again"
... will be in the auction at the NS Folk Art Festival..this Sunday....Lunenburg Memorial Arena...12-4pm..see you there!

Rooster on a Boat

This guy shall be at the NS FOLK ART FESTIVAL.
This Sunday.
Lunenburg.
12-4
Memorial Arena

NS Folk Art Festival 2016

Here is something to read to get you in the folk art mood.

See you at the festival!

:)

http://southshorebreaker.ca/2016/07/19/folk-art-fest/

Weird minds think alike.

I was chatting with Steven Rhude the other day and he said he was working on a painting of lady with a buoy on her head..and I said, "SHUT UP!, I just hooked a judy with a buoy on her head titled "Fishing School""...this is what we do in Nova Scotia.

http://srhude.blogspot.ca/2016/07/fishing-school-rug-hooking-laura-kenney.html

Nova Scotia Folk Art Festival

Judy has been sipping cocktails in the backyard and I have been busy hooking getting ready for the NS FOLK ART FESTIVAL...hope to see you there.

Surfing the Ironing Board.... is coming down

Going to Halifax tomorrow to take down "Surfing the Ironing Board" ..Judy is going to miss that place... :) A big thank you to the lovely people at the Mary Black Gallery, and thank you to everyone who came out to see the exhibit..appreciate it.

Surfing the Ironing Board in Local Xpress

Elissa Barnard wrote a great article in the Local Xpress.

The show is on for another week..check it out if you have the chance, thanks.

Laura Kenney hooks a Maritime woman's world

Truro artist Laura Kenney finds her own voice in the enchanting iconic and fictional Maritime woman Judy in her comical, issue-oriented, multi-coloured hooked rugs in Surfing The Ironing Board at the Mary E Black Gallery, Halifax, to July 10.

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Jul 2, 2016 10:39 AM by: Elissa Barnard

I'd Rather Be Reading, by Truro rug hooking artist Laura Kenney, is in her exhibit Surfing The Ironing Board at the Mary E Black Gallery, Halifax, to July 10.

Laura Kenney draws a viewer in with humour and colour, then makes social commentary in her rug hooking exhibit, Surfing The Ironing Board, at the Mary E Black Gallery to July 10.
Kenney is concerned about out-migration, the collapse of the fishing industry, the loss of lighthouses and the domestic life of women.
She does not like housework and she names her first major solo show for her mother, who is a “fanatical house cleaner” and has always hated ironing shirts, says the Truro artist.
“My dad was in the military and she had a million shirts to iron and she'd be so cranky. When the ironing board came out, everybody ran.”
Kenney releases her mother by letting her fictional character of Judy surf on the ironing board in just one of many playful images in a story told through the voice of Judy.
This fictional character is becoming so popular that friends of Kenney's dressed up as her for the opening. “Who doesn't relate to Judy?” said Susan Charles, director of the Nova Scotia Centre for Craft and Design, which runs the Halifax gallery.
The iconic Maritime woman is a lean Modigliani-like figure in red boots with a black dress, a red bun and a blank face that expresses volumes.
Judy represents a hard-working Maritime woman and a mother who is bound to housework but who dreams of other things, a woman whose values are traditional — family, hard work, roots — but whose love of life is expressed in whimsy, humour and colour.
“I didn't intend to make her. She just came to me,” says Kenney. “She speaks to people, it's mostly women but men too. People are drawn to her.”
Kenney, who has a degree in chemistry, started hooking in 1998 through the Rug Hooking Guild of Nova Scotia in Truro. Three years ago she was looking for new subject matter for the Nova Scotia Folk Art Festival when she stumbled upon this character.
“I did three rugs, one after another, with the black dress, red boots and red hair and I went, 'What's this?'
“It's like she's riding the boat now.”
The exhibit reads like a story starting at the opposite wall with a swirling, gorgeous, red abstracted rug that leads into Judy's life as a woman.
She gets married in her black dress holding a bouquet of fish and with a belly bump, which a gallery visitor had to point out to me as she laughed.
Two side-by-side rugs express the duality of motherhood. “Motherhood is a wonderful bonding thing but it is also a very restricting thing,” said Kenney.
As a stay-at-home-mom, Judy is literally under the house like the Wicked Witch of the East under Dorothy's house in The Wizard of Oz. The artwork, Judy ... she is a mother, is a simplified, evocative image of a female figure bent over a girl with streaming felted red hair in a river of unspun wool. The background is done in ribs of white showing off the sculptural, iconic figures.
Kenney, whose kids are now 15 and 12, says she has never found that elusive balance of vocation, housework and motherhood. “I wouldn't say balance, I'm just kind of doing it. I'm doing my best but often you feel like you are not doing anything well.”
The gallery's back wall is the “domestic chore wall” where Judy tries to avoid ironing, drinks while she washes the floor and escapes to a bath in a clawfoot tub. The rugs' backgrounds are rigid vertical lines in greens and golds that carry a sense of entrapment.
“It's meant to be like wallpaper. When she goes out, there is the whirling sky.”
Kenney, in the third section, puts Judy outdoors with the gorgeous van Gogh-esque skies in saturated colours.
She expresses her concern for a vanishing way of life in the Maritimes as Judy hangs buoys from trees and her arms, moves her house on a trolley and has dinner with a lighthouse.
“My roots are here and I've lived here for almost 20 years and I feel this place, it seems like we're on the brink of extinction but we're surviving,” said Kenney.
Inspired by rug-hooking artists Nancy Edell and Deanne Fitzpatrick, she finds her artistic voice in a medium that is both traditionally female and a domestic art which suits her message.
Catalogue essayist and fellow artist Steven Rhude suggests she also speaks through the voices that exist in the used cloth she finds at Frenchys and Louis's and in sari ribbons.
“Clothing speaks to the person who wore it – I see a small red blazer and I think Nancy Regan,” said Kenney. “You think what happened to the person who wore that and then the sari cloth tells its own story. Inanimate objects have a certain voice, I think it adds something to the final piece.”
Kenney feels the introduction of commercial patterns killed the individual voices of women rug hookers.
“Before patterns came out, women were just putting whatever was on their minds on the burlap. What would happen to the world of painting if everybody did paint-by-numbers?”
This exhibit includes a station for trying rug hooking. Let's just say it will not be a second career for me. However, the attempt leaves one amazed at Kenney's patience and skill and at a wonderful, joyful show rooted in deep thought and feeling.
Surfing The Ironing Board is at the Mary E Black Gallery, Nova Scotia Centre for Craft and Design, nestled between Pier 21 and the Seaport Market, to July 10 and open Tuesday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The centre's art and craft shop reopens in July across the street in the former Seeds Gallery space. This exhibit also goes to the Craft Council Annex Gallery in St. John's, N.L, in August 2017.
Kenney is back with over 50 folk artists at the Nova Scotia Folk Art Festival on Sunday, July 31, noon to 4 p.m., at the Lunenburg Memorial Arena and is in the group show, The Very Best Folks I Know: Storytellers and Satirists Group Show, opening July 30 at Harvest Gallery, Wolfville, and also featuring the work of Geoff Butler, Ian Gilson, John Neville, Steven Rhude, Barry Colpitts, Ed Bernard, Richard Crowe and the Naugler brothers, Bradford and Ransford.
Kenney had two rugs selected for Terroir: A Nova Scotia Survey, the new exhibit of works by 29 Nova Scotia artists at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia to Jan. 15.

Sunny Ways

It is a Sunny Way kinda day..HAPPY BIRTHDAY CANADA.

A little mistake.

Just a note....The Coast said I am having a  "meet the artist"  at the Mary Black Gallery today..but I am afraid that was an error...I am at home being a Mom today..my apologies. :(
On another note...I had a great chat with Elissa Barnard about "Surfing the Ironing Board" so expect to see a write up in Local Xpress this week.

Terroir..the opening

It was a great night!
The show runs till January so lots of time to check it out.
Art Gallery of Nova Scotia....Judy made the big time.
:)

Terroir...A Nova Scotia Survey at the AGNS

I have a little story to tell.

There was a call for submissions put out by the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia (AGNS) last fall....and...I had never seen an open call for submissions put out by the AGNS..so...I thought.."YES!...I need to try for this"...because the AGNS to me is like. ..it's like...well...when I walk into the AGNS it feels like I am walking into a church....a sacred place...a place where I am going to see something that is going to make me feel..or think about something in a different way...it's powerful stuff.

 Soo...getting back to my little story...my submission was accepted. To say I did a happy dance is a bit of an understatement....29  artists living and working in NS  are represented in Terroir. We often talk about Nova Scotia..have-not province...culture of defeat...but what are artists saying about the province...what is their perspective....this is a show to see.


https://www.artgalleryofnovascotia.ca/exhibitions/terroir-nova-scotia-survey

This is Judy

"This is Judy"

If you are interested in purchasing a rug and would like to know which rugs are available from "Surfing the Ironing Board",  you can email me at Lkenneyrugs@gmail.com..thanks.

Sweet email.

I got this really sweet email and I got permission to share it with you...it really made my day.

My fiancee and I chanced upon your work at the Mary E. Black galley on our last day in Halifax, a few short hours before our flight back to the UK.

We were absolutely bowled over by your rugs, beautiful, delightful things.

We have the same broad technique over in the North East UK where they are known as 'proggy mats', but we've never seen anything like your rendering of Judy and her life and travails.

Stunning and remarkable, the final highlight of many during our visit to Nova Scotia,

In the gallery tomorrow

I am going to be hanging out in the gallery tomorrow 11-1pm...I can give you a tour of the show ....I can show you how to hook...I can ...well, that's all. :)

Orlando

My heart is breaking for Orlando.

Waiting for the Mouse to Leave

Waiting for the Mouse to Leave.
50 x 15"
950$
Mary E. Black Gallery

Gallery 215

Gallery 215 is having their opening today 1-3pm.
It is a lovely rural gallery featuring many NS artists.
See you there.

 https://gallery215.wordpress.com/

Review of "Surfing the Ironing Board"

Steven Rhude did a very cool thing and did a write-up of "Surfing the Ironing Board". The Chronicle Herald may be "tits up" for the time being but life goes on..people are still making art in the province and people are still going to write about it.... one way or another.

http://srhude.blogspot.ca/2016/06/tits-up-failed-selfies-and-social.html