Steampunk Michael

Steampunk Michael, 18" x  24", #3-cut hand-dyed wool on bleached primitive linen, embellished with metal gears, cogs, and watch pieces. Designed and hooked by Donna Hrkman, Dayton, Ohio, 2017.

I swore I would never hook rug portraits of my sons. It was too personal and too hard and too whatever other excuses I could come up with. But an exceptional photo taken of my oldest son made it impossible for me to keep that vow, and I was able to create a rug of him that made me both proud and happy. I called it Nick at Night, and I wrote an article about it for Rug Hooking magazine in 2016.

There was an uneasy calm after I finished Nick’s rug, knowing I was going to have to create a rug for each of my other two boys. Surprisingly, the opportunity to create a fun rug of my second son came up very quickly on the heels of Nick’s piece. It turned out to be a great experience for me, and it’s a rug that my son enjoys as well.

It all began during the annual July 4th family reunion in 2016. My mom joins our immediate family of my husband and two sons who live in the same city and we all drive to my aunt and uncle’s place in West Virginia. We hang out, eat constantly, play cornhole, and then enjoy fireworks set off by my uncle and his friends. It’s something we look forward to every summer.