rughookingmagazine.com

Thanks for signing up!

Straying Off the Color Wheel

Achromatic Rug Hooking

By: Tamara Pavich/Photography by the Artists

Trotters, 21" x 56". #8- through 9-cut wool on linen. Designed and hooked by Cathy Stephan, Athens, Wisconsin, 2014.

Think black-and-white photography, line drawings and charcoal sketches, or modern abstract paintings. Achromatic art—art without color—has been around for centuries, allowing artists to explore and depict their subject matter, its form, texture, and visual detail without the distraction of color.

At first blush, we might think that without color a rug could become either too stark or too drab to be appealing. But color sometimes steals the show, drawing our attention and obscuring the other elements of our rugs. The rugs in this article demonstrate a surprising variety of effects that more than make up for a lack of color. By employing only black, white, and shades of grays and other neutrals, we can achieve crisp, bold, graphic designs with high contrast, or we can achieve a muted, soothing, mellow impression with low contrast, such as we often see in primitive schemes.

This article is from the September/October 2015 issue. For more information on our issue, check out our issue page.

YOUR RECENTLY VIEWED ARTICLES

Free tutorials, expert tips, exclusive partner offers, and more straight to your inbox!

Reviews

I have not made this yet so I cannot rate it.

Include a Photo Include a Photo

Click the button above or drag and drop images onto the button. You can upload two images.

Cancel Reply to Comment

Thanks for your comment. Don't forget to share!

Close

Report Inappropriate Comment

Are you sure you would like to report this comment? It will be flagged for our moderators to take action.

Thank you for taking the time to improve the content on our site.

Sign In to Your Account

Close Window
Sign In with one of your Social Accounts
Facebook Twitter
OR
Sign In using Email and Password