Lois Morris / In The News
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| Rug Hooking Magazine –vol. XXVI – Number 3, Nov-Dec. 2014. |
The Blue Period
Expanding Creativity Trough Monochromatic Rugs
Rug Hooking Magazine
By Tamara Pavich
The True Mono-Chroma Scheme
Using the strictest definition of the term, monochromatic art uses a single chroma - one blue, not a variety of blues, with many values of that one hue. Adding white to the hue is called tinting. Adding black is called shading. But only black, white and a single color may be used in a true monochromatic scheme.
Sarah
Dyeing wool in many shades of a single color is one of Lois Morris's favorite parts of rug hooking. Lois, who has taught and lectured in Quebec for many years, dyed 45 different shades of a single blue for her portrait of her granddaughter, Sarah, a dancer. Using a #2 cut, Lois shaded this image exquisitely.
"There are many shades of any color", she said, "and by dyeing many shades of one hue and even another close hue, you get an infinite number of values and limitless amounts of contrast."
Here the balanced composition and the monochromatic treatment give the impression of a dancer immersed in the immediate experience of her art.
15" x 29", #2 cut wool on rug warp. Adapted from a photograph by Ed Flories and hooked by Lois Morris, Rawdon, Quebec, 2000.
Lois dyed blue swatches in 45 different values to achieve the effect she wanted in this true monochrome. Although she considers this portrait of her granddaughter her "most satisfying project yet" while working on it she felt pressured to get it just right, "A lot of people know Sarah," Lois said, "so it was important to me that everyone knew instantly who it was. I gave it to her as a birthday present. When she opened it, she looked at it for a moment of silence, and then screamed, 'Oh my God, it's me! I love it.' "
