A Letter about Skies and Water

 Invented Landscape

Inspired by a photo

"When you hook a piece that have water and sky, do you hook the sky first because the water reflects the sky? Where on your welcome mat do I find information on how you've hooked some of your pieces??    Looking forward to hearing from you Wanda.

I love to hook landscapes. After much frustration in my earlier hooking I now like to rely on visual aides. 

My imagination is either too broad or too fine to make up the details or vaguaries that Mother Nature supplies us on a daily basis. Neither upon seeing these wonders does my brain allow for remembrance of important key factors of specific reflection details and colour notes. Like was that a warm yellow or a cool one? Was it warm at the top and cool at the bottom? Was the reflection brighter, lighter, duller? 

So I use a visual aid and it doesn't matter one whit where I start or finish, I'm just plugging the right colours into the shapes that exist, and while doing that a sense a accuracy develops and leaves the viewer feeling, "that looks right" 

I use dozens of variations of my key colours. For instance if I need pink, I will have one warm, cool, bright, dull and in a whatever of values are needed.

So I don't pay any head to rules, like always have a straight horizon, the sun reflects in a triangle on water, make your horizon line darker or light or have the water reflect the sky at all, the sky is alwayslighter, brighter whatever.... 

I've seen a thousand examples of those common wisdoms being thumbed at by Mother Nature.

I just put in what I see. I don't try to say anything by implication just lay down what I see where I see it.

An imagined landscape is one that looks invented, it might not look true nor have depth due to my lacks.

Inspired by a photo

Invented

Oh I also don't give a fig for direction of my hooking.

I might hook every way while doing either sky or water depending on what's transpiring weather wise.

I hope this helps you out Linda.

PS To find out exactly how I hook some things you can go to Free Online Classroom, or join a class when I give them. I have some lessons in I'm a new Hooker, and I frequently chronicle my rugging in Works in Progress.