Ornamental Elements

The Baltimore American Craft Council show is in full swing this week and a wonderful resource for inspiration. Artists are often influenced by experiences that others may find mundane.  At the tender age of ten, Kira Bacon helped make a hooked rug at camp. “The experience is still vivid for me. I remember the smell and texture of the burlap, the brightly colored yarns and fabrics and especially the worn old wooden tool we used for hooking. I was intrigued by the mechanical motion of the tool and delighted by the perfect little loops it produced. The finished project, created by many little ten-year-old hands, was beautiful. I didn’t know it then, but that experience was to have a profound impact on my art life. Many years later, I remembered the little rug and thus began a new artistic journey.”