For over two decades, artist Deanne Fitzpatrick has hooked rugs, first making them to warm her home, and then elevating them to gallery-worthy artwork. She is inspired by the land and water around her home in Nova Scotia, Canada. Not only does she make beautiful landscape rugs, but she also creates abstracts, and impressionistic rugs. She may use dozens of colors in just one rug. Deanne has written many books and offers rug hooking classes. She even has her own podcast, called Create Beauty Everyday.
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Deanne Fitzpatrick
Deanne’s website is called hookingrugs.com
Click here to see her free How To video to get started.
You can find her books here.
And her classes here.
Her podcast is called Create Beauty Everyday.
On Instagram, she is @hookingrugs
On Facebook, you can find her at Deanne Fitzpatrick Studio and you can join her Group called Wild with Wool.
Here are some great takeaways from our conversation:
- I’ll start with this bit of advice that Deanne gives to all artists: simply show up. Show up to make your art, whatever it is. Even if you don’t feel inspired, make something anyway.
- Rug hooking is a very mindful, meditative craft. It’s a great way to relax with yourself, especially now that we all have been home more.
- When starting a new craft, start small so you don’t get overwhelmed. You want to be able to finish it so that you feel that sense of accomplishment. Deanne offers 6×6 and 8×8 kits as well as her larger ones.
- Don’t limit yourself to one style. If you want to do abstracts, landscapes, and portraits, then go ahead. Deanne will do a few in a theme. You’ll end up getting a series or collection of a few pieces of art. Chances are though, there will be an underlying style to them all, like the colors that you choose, or the level of detail.
- When you are finished creating a piece of art, don’t forget the presentation of it. Put it in a frame, mount it on a background, or do something that will make it stand out as a nice piece of art.
- Think about your art and whether you could sell patterns or kits. People want to make things right now, especially as we are staying home more. Kits could be just the thing to add to your list of products.
- I’ll end with another good quote from Deanne: Art and making is bigger than the thing that you make. It’s the process that’s important. And of course, the more you make something, the better you will get at it.
