By Pascale Faubert, July 29th 2020

Laura Kenney is an artist from Nova Scotia whom I had the pleasure of meeting at a craft fair last fall. She works with textile fibres just like me, but her approach is different. Laura makes hooked rugs, a technique with a long tradition in Nova Scotia. She uses long selvedges that she hooks on burlap to bring her works to life.

What caught my attention in Laura's work were her colours and the themes she illustrates. Whether the preservation of lighthouses in Nova Scotia, climate change or feminist issues, Laura tackles her subjects with humour and a choice of appropriate colours. Hooked rugs serve as her voice for self-expression.

Laura loves bright colours. She is particularly fond of red and gold, which have a prominent place in most of her works. It is not always easy to find these colours, so she often dyes the fabrics to obtain the desired effect.

During our meeting, I suggested to Laura that we collaborate with my leftover fabric remnants in order to create unique works. It is part of my business vision to upcycle and repurpose leftover pieces from my production. I sent her a box full of fabric scraps with a variety of colours and materials. This presented an added challenge, not least because linen, bamboo and denim are fibres that Laura was trying for the first time. Nevertheless, the challenge met success because the result is magnificent! These twelve unique pieces are available in the online shop section of my site.