Category Archives: textile art

Juried Art in 2011

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The following three works were juried into exhibitions and/or publications this year.  This exposes the traditional craft of rughooking to a contemporary art audience.  Hope you can visit one or all of the exhibitions:
State Museum, Culture Center, 1900 Kanawha Blvd E, Charleston, WV 304-558-0220 for hours
Tamarack, One Tamarack Park, Beckley, WV 1-888-TAMARACK
June 19-Aug 13
Sauder Village, Archbold, OH www.Saudervillage.org Rug Hooking Week
August 17-20
Celebrations XXI published by Stackpole Books  August 2011

Retreat report

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Gathered at the Falls

Wonderful new friends, great outdoors and many steps along our fiber journey are some of the memories we took away from the RETREAT INTO THE MOUNTAINS 2011 at Peterkin Camp and Conference Center. 

Texture, Shapes, Form

 The design sessions were very rewarding.  Many of the 5 inch squares were completed by Sunday afternoon.  Plans are for the 5th RETREAT to be held on April 13-15, 2012.  Registration material available soon, contact Susan for a copy at rugs2wv@yahoo.com.   Sure to fill up quickly.

Results from one of the Dye Sessions with Jim

Four participants worked with Jim Lilly in the Dye Studio and created wonderful ARTWOOLS.

Top 15 Tamarack Artists! Thanks

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WVLiving Magazine has just announced on their Facebook page that I am one of the 15 Top Tamarack Artists!   Much thanks to my worldwide audience who entered the pole at http://wvlivingmagazine.com

I will be featured in an article in the Summer issue along with the other artists.  A new order of my hooked mini-mats will be delivered the first week of May to TAMARACK.

Mini Mats by Susan L. Feller

A stop at “the Best of West Virginia” when traveling on I64/I79 is sure to please all of your senses.

We are live with an updated site!

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If you clicked onto this blog through http://www.ruckmanmillfarm.com   welcome!  Look around the posts and pages to learn even more about Susan Feller and Jim Lilly at home in the Mountain State of West Virginia.

Logo designed by Michael Anderson, Romney, WV

  We are thrilled to have an official logo honoring the log home Jim built and the era of time we both are reliving… the Arts and Crafts period of the early 1900’s.

Michael Anderson is our graphic designer, web creator, fellow artist, and friend.  I have found him to be easy to discuss concepts with and the magic in cyberspace he has worked should make your visits enjoyable.

Let us know of any problem, difficulty or enjoyable clicks while on the site, so we can improve it.  

At Home by Jim Lilly

Enough of the thank yous,  ENJOY and come back soon.   Susan and Jim

Entry accepted in WV Juried Exhibition

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Just received notice that “Winter in West Virginia” was accepted in the  Inspired: A West Virginia Series of Juried Exhibitions Historic Buildings.  The opening ceremony was on January 24, 2011 at the WV Culture Center, 1900 Kanawha Blvd, E. Charleston, WV.  Show up through July 25.

Yes that is the Capitol of West Virginia!  Visit www.wvculture.org, exhibits for details about hours of the Commissioner’s gallery.

Winter in West Virginia, Susan L. Feller

This piece was one of the 6 works reviewed by jurors for TAMARACK for the category FINE CRAFT.  It was created in 2009 for a travelling exhibit titled STRIPES.  The artists from Japan and the United States each interpreted that word using some type of rughooking.  I happily packed my work up and sent it off today, for one more leg of its journey.  Japan, NJ, IN and now Charleston, WV.  It is for sale, but I do hope to see its return at the end of the show, since the inspiration is a view right out our kitchen looking towards Short Mountain.

Australians Spreading Rug Hooking down under

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Jo Franco and Judy Stephens are literally worldwide travelers in search of rug hooking tools, contacts and inspiration.  We met in Wales four years ago during the Tri-Ennial of TIGHR (the International Guild of Handhooking Rugmakers).  I went home to the States as President for the next three years and they headed home to Australia having asked: ” What can we do to spread rughooking?”

Fast track to 2009 and these two, along with Miriam Miller and Jacqui Thomson became the next Board for TIGHR at the Louisville, KY Tri-Ennial.  While on the road members of this group visited suppliers, artists and friends in the States, Canadian rugmakers, attended a retreat in the UK, and worked at a project involving sight impaired rug hookers in Gambia.

Jo and Judy teach both Australian techniques in rugmaking incorporating aboriginal basketmaking and proddy popularized by the English immigrants along with, in Jo’s case, being McGown Certified in traditional styles.

Let the River Run, by Judith Stephens 2010

Visit their website ausrugcrafters.com to see more work, and supplies available in Australia for rug hookers.

Branding Ruckman Mill Farm

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We have chosen a slogan and are using it throughout our advertising campaign beginning in 2011. 

“Everybody needs FIBER.”   and “Every body needs FIBER.”   

Since we are immersed in the textile world specializing in woolen fabric for rughooking, the first version is adressing the “addiction” craftspeople flaunt. We all need FIBER.    Our other time is spent raising vegetables, flowers and poultry on our farm in Hampshire County living as close as possible a sustainable lifestyle.  Every BODY does need fiber to survive.

Follow our ads in ATHA and, as of March, in Rug Hooking Magazine. The website www.RuckmanMillFarm.com will be revamped to reflect this new image also.

2011 Ruckman Mill Farm Branding

Studio Tour in Hampshire County WV

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The third Hampshire Highlands Studio Tour is over and was another fun way to meet neighbors, travelers and fellow artisans.  Although it was cold and very windy the snow we had last year held off allowing travellers to get to all 15 studios. 

From the reports by the artists we are going to put together a fourth tour.  Put the first weekend in December on your calendar and visit www.HampshireHighlandsStudioTour.com throughout the year to see who is added.  We plan to work with the lodging in our county to come up with great packages including tour a day, dinner in Romney, an art event (theatre or concert) at the Bottling Works and lodging in town.  This will allow out-of-towners who enjoy meeting artists to visit all of the studios and enjoy our other cultural benefits.

MountainMade new work

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Columbia County Carnation and Hand Carved Frame

A trip to Beckley means making a circle and coming back through Thomas, WV, visiting the MountainMade Gallery.  Our work has been juried here since 2004 and we dropped off two of the “perfect” pieces which had been reviewed at Tamarack the day before. (See Fine Craft at Tamarack post)

A visit to the great Mountains of West Virginia this winter should take you to the Canaan Valley wonderland.  While there a shopping trip to Thomas, and on the outskirts, the MountainMade Gallery to fill your home with West Virginia art is a must.  The presentation of our work is spectacular, floating on clear glass shelves suspended from the previous factory high ceilings is shiny glassware.  The pottery sits on hand carved wooden tables and our textiles warm the walls and furniture.  Music plays and you can select food products too.

FINE CRAFT artist at TAMARACK

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Finally!  It took a year but on November 6, 2010 Jim and I travelled 5 hours to Beckley, WV to the afternoon session of jurying at TAMARACK-“the Best of West Virginia” and by 4:30 we got the good news: I was accepted for work in FINE CRAFT.  Six pieces were reviewed for technique, materials, design and I received a perfect score from the jurors. 

Rainbow of Trees by Susan L. Feller

This means that rughooking will be represented in upcoming gallery shows at TAMARACK.  I am proud to represent this craftform to an audience geared toward seeing craft at its finest..as ART.  The extra work I put into finishing the backs of the stretched pieces, and overall presentation added to the value and worth of the textiles.  One fine artist when I showed her my stitched cloth backing,  said “That looks professional.”  I will share these tips with rughookers in upcoming workshops and to anyone who inquires here.