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In Silence of the Snow, I made falling snowflakes in the distance with white pearl beads. I wired together small snowflakes using shiny silver Czech beads to add perspective to the front. Although most of the mat is made of #3-cut wools, I used acrylic yarn for all of the white, as it remains a much brighter white than wool. I used tie tacks to add the little bow hunter (my granddaughter) and deer.
I love how the sun is setting through the distant trees on the horizon in this piece. This would be my favorite time of the day. The limited palette enhances the peacefulness of the scene, which helps the viewer feel its calming quietness.
From the Judges:
The contrast between the warm golden hues of the sunset and the cool blues and purples of the snow-capped landscape is stunning. A painterly quality is achieved through the shading and subtle shifts in color. Depth and perspective lead the eye from the foreground snowbanks to the distant golden sky.
Silence of the Snow, 24″ x 20″, #3-cut wool, novelty yarns, tie tacks, and pearl and glass beads on linen.
Designed and hooked by Grace Collette, Raymond, New Hampshire, 2024.
It was challenging to make the white snow look fluffy—not flat—through the use of blue value swatches. I dyed many values and shades to achieve this. To finish the rug, I whipped the edges with tapestry yarn, then wrapped and stapled two pieces of fabric that enhanced the major color masses of my hooking to stretched canvas. With the fabrics very tight, I hand stitched my mat onto the canvas and fabric and screwed the finished piece into a floater frame. This rug taught me that finishing a piece with the attention it deserves is as important to the final product as the hooking.
I greatly appreciate the honor of being chosen for my twelfth inclusion in Celebration, which gives so many people around the world great happiness.
Grace Collette
RAYMOND, NEW HAMPSHIRE
Grace was a student of Ruth Hall, who imparted a strong foundation in rug hooking to her more than 50 years ago. She has received many rug-hooking awards and honors and has been in Celebration 12 times.