Contemporary textile artist Deanne Fitzpatrick

Deanne Fitzpatrick creates hooked rugs from recycled wool cloth that has been cut into strips.

Rug hooking like many domestic textile crafts comes from a tradition of poverty. Although Deannes’s mother and grandmother both created rugs driven by financial need, Deanne is driven to make rugs by different need. That of expressing the stories and ideas that are important to her in her life and the community in which she resides.

Growing up in Freshwater, Placentia Bay, Newfoundland her work reflects the community values she was exposed to. Those elements being simplicity and tradition. Part of that tradition is story telling. Before selecting key elements within a tale to represent the narrative Deanne Fitzpatrick gathers her stories from people in community and uses a journal to capture them. Deanne also keeps a Rug Hooking Diary online

Illustrated here is one of Deanne Fitzpatrick’s pieces on her site ‘The Salt Water Dance’. Deanne Fitzpatrick’s site houses information on designing, planning and making hooked rugs. Much of her ideas about designing and choosing imagery is of wider interest. Check out her gallery area I think her imagery will at least make you smile in thoughtful recognition.