Friday Inspiration - Jo Hamilton's Crochet Art

2011

I recently ran across some photos of Jo Hamilton's work and about had my socks blown off!  To say her crocheted art work is amazing somehow falls short.  The Portland, Oregon artist was originally taught to crochet by her grandmother and then re-learned as a teenager.  In an interview (which I highly recommend reading) she says she "crafted" with crochet for many years before beginning to incorporate it into her art.
Now she "paints" with thread, creating wonderfully lifelike and colorful portraits and landscapes.  To see a close-up of the piece to the right, click here.

I love the way she captured the spirit of the city in I Crochet Portland, with its bridges, eclectic  architecture, and rolling hills. 

I Crochet Portland, 63" x 109", 2006-2009

And this portrait of Portland mural artist Joe Cotter, who passed on earlier this year, is great!  His eyes are full of life and you can almost see him planning his next project.  A very fitting tribute.

Joe Cotter and the Original Outside In Mural, 43" x 45", 2011

I found a video showing one of her portraits being created  - it doesn't show her actually working on it, but shows how she works in different areas until it begins to come together.  And she doesn't work with pre-drawn out plans or graphs!


'Arthur Animated' by Jo Hamilton Art from Jo Hamilton Art on Vimeo.

I've been working on a crochet project where I need to follow a graph - and have been working on the same three rows for two days now trying to get it right .... Jo's method is looking good!  Be sure to take a look at her website - there's a lot more there!

Happy Creating!  Deborah