Give a Gift
Asiatic Garden #2, 27″ x 34 ½”, #3- and 6-cut wool on linen. Designed by David Galchutt and hooked by Karen Garbee, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2024.
From the Judges:
The lively and harmonious color palette successfully creates depth and movement. Flawless execution that enhances the complexity and beauty. Meticulously translated piece of work.
I hooked Asiatic Garden #2 using #3- and 6-cut wool strips. I wanted to offset the architecture by using a larger cut than in the rest of the piece. The birds and flowers were hooked with #3-cut wool strips for greater detail and shading.
I’m particularly fond of the flowers. While they were difficult to hook, I learned a lot about shading in the process. The original pattern had a chrysanthemum in the upper-left section that was small enough to be very difficult to hook, even in a #3 cut, so I changed it to a rose with the artist’s permission. I finished the rug by whipping it with yarn.
This rug required a lot of patience, and I learned just how much patience I really have for this art. I thoroughly enjoyed working on this David Galchutt piece. I swore I would never do another one, but who knows…
Karen Garbee
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO
Karen has been rug hooking since 2019, but she has been working with fiber for as long as she can remember. She has enjoyed weaving, crocheting, knitting, quilting, and dyeing. Her paternal grandmother hooked rugs, and Karen is lucky to have three of those inspiring pieces and use her grandmother’s hooks.