Rachelle LeBlanc

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Artist Statement

I discovered rug hooking when I was looking for another way to express my creative energy and to relieve stress from my profession in the Fashion Industry.

Little did I know that within a very short time it would become a passion that would move my family across the country in order for me to pursue it full time.  I love the challenge that rug hooking brings.  Transforming the design into a rug by over dyeing woolen fabric, hand cutting the wool into strips then hooking those strips onto a backing can be time consuming but for me that’s where the inspiration is found.  Rug hooking forces me to slow down, observe and enjoy the journey.

Artist Bio

Rachelle LeBlanc was born in 1968 in Boston, grew up in New-Brunswick, Canada and studied fashion at Sheridan College in Ontario and now lives in St Albert, Alberta. She has been regarded as one of the top Canadian contemporary rug artists of her generation and has exhibited in museums across Canada and the US, including the Musée des Maître et Artisans in Montreal and Shelburne museum in Vermont.

Artist Statement

Every piece I complete should be an invitation to its viewers.  I hope that they first recognize a beauty that invites them to look further, and then find themselves lingering over the unanswered questions the piece provokes.  I hope that tension stays with them after they have stepped away

 On my first trip to Shelburne Museum, Vermont I fell in love with the hand hooked rugs in the rug gallery.  I knew this art form was for me.

Intrigued, I set out to find more on the subject of rug hooking.  After searching for hours in our local library, I found a small book that was published in the 1960's. I don't remember the title, but it talked about the traditions of rug hooking on L'Ile de L'Orleans, near Quebec City.  With the help of this tiny book, I was able to figure out the basic techniques and I started my first project.

That was in 2003, I haven't stopped since.

Using the same basic techniques as the earlier rug makers, my rugs come to life.  Hand hooking is a very slow process.  The image is created by thousands of loops created with woolen fabric, cut into strips then hooked onto a burlap backing.

While many artists still use fabric from old clothing, I prefer using high quality new woolen cloth.  I plan out my rugs, once the sketch is complete with colors, I hand dye all the fabric needed for the project.  The strips are either torn or hand cut into 1/4" wide then hooked onto the chosen backing.

There are many challenges that come with this art form but I enjoy working around them to create a final product that is both beautiful and durable.

I have been fortunate to be self taught.  This allows me the freedom from someone else's rules, gravitating away from the more primitive images to a more painting with wool approach.  The art of rug hooking has become my medium of choice.

Click here for Artistic History