Gene’s Rug Hooking Blog

I met Marion Wise at the first Hook-In I ever attended.  We immediately connected and have been good friends ever since.  Our mutual friend, Marny Cardin, recently visited Marion and sent me most of the following photos, which I am happy to share with you.  Marion has always brought me a lot of  personal joy and I share her work knowing it will bring you joy as well.

Marion, who has made dozens of hooked pieces over the past couple of decades, has probably also helped and encouraged that many new rug hookers get started in our art form.  It seems like she is always taking someone under her wing and sharing both her rugs and stories with anyone who is interested in learning about rug hooking. Her rendition of his beautiful William Morris design is one of my favorites.

Although Marion came to rug hooking relatively late in her life, rug hooking was something with which she was very familiar, as her mother was a prodigious fiber artist.  This Pansy Tray pattern, designer and date unknown, was made by her mother.  I love the delicate scroll work.

However, when I think of Marion,  the first image that comes to mind is that of birds. This large piece, based on a pattern by Meredith LeBeau, was originally drawn with birds from the Eastern part of the US.  Marion, after to moving to CA, decided to adapt the pattern by changing the birds to varieties found in the West.

The “Wood Duck” section, bottom right, was a design from Sherry Kohler that Marion added as well.  In looking at this detailed shot, I guess I should amend a previous statement:  When I think of Marion the first things that come to mind are birds AND fine cuts! I particularly like the shading and detail in the fern at the bottom, right, of this photo.

Here is another bird of hers.   Although small in size, Marion packed in an incredible amount of subtle detail in this gem of a piece.  Just try and count all the different colors in the breast and wing of this bird!

Even though she does like birds, and I have only shown a few, Marion has regularly escaped that  pigeon hole by hooking outside her preferred designs and cuts.   After seeing an old rug that her friend, Susan Higgins acquired in Connecticut, she copied the design to make her own wide cut version.  I’ll share more work by Marion Wise tomorrow.