This piece was inspired by my previous blue heron pieces. I wanted to continue my background designs, as they were evolving in different ways. I wanted to focus on a wonderful bird with a large beak and lots of interesting colors in it.
The challenge with this bird was how can I make the velvet work for me to create him? The black and gray birds hook nicely with the raised sculpted wool techniques and allow me to use a lot of color in the background, which I enjoy.
This piece was the center in our local show, Valley Arts Rug Exhibit 2019. It then was chosen for the cover of Rug Hooking Magazine June 2020, along with Anne-Marie Littenberg’s article about my work.