Winter Hunt

Dimensions: 35" x 18"
Materials: #3- and 4-cut wool on monk's cloth
Designed and hooked by Mary McGrath, Eagle, Wisconsin, 2010. Photo by Michelle at Art's Cameras.
Featured in: Celebration XXI

"Winter Hunt features our first Vizsla, Treeva, and will always hold a special place in my heart for several reasons. First, Treeva was a very special, old-soul-type dog and so dear to our family. My husband, John, spent many hours pheasant hunting with her, and I think they equally enjoyed the time in the field. Delving into the planning and hooking of this rug pushed me out of the comfort zone I had established for myself. It made me eat my words: 'I love looking at the fine cut rugs, but I don’t think I’ll ever hook one myself.' I can even say at the end of hooking this rug I thought to myself, 'OK, now that you did that, and it scared you half to death the entire time, I think you can safely return to that comfort zone.' Time number two I had to eat my words. Lastly, while hooking the sky on this rug, my hooking was interrupted by the possibility of severe weather. So our family decided to take cover in the basement, and I left my hooking sitting on the sofa waiting my return once the weather passed us. Unfortunately a tornado traveled through our backyard and imploded the window over the sofa with the rug and all my hooking supplies laying there. This memory has a happy ending because the damage to Winter Hunt was minimal and limited only to some cuts from glass into the backing. My instructor, Joyce Krueger, had the opportunity to show me how to repair the backing, and the rug hangs on my wall today."
- Mary McGrath, Celebration Hall of Fame 2018