- Title
- Our State
-
-
- Date
- May 2002
-
-
- Place
- ["North Carolina, United States"]
-
Our State
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Carolina artists
Zelma Reavis
A Way of Working a Rug
34
Ош
Mate
Мчу
20(1?
Having created more than 500 hand-hooked rags,
this dyed-in-the-wool artisan allows tradition,
time, and nature's design to guide her craft.
I) V It i c h a t d S c e i f
о г
d
In
л
world where efficient production
defines the success of a product, an
encounter with one of Zclma
Rcavis' hooked rugs reminds you of
the elegance made possible through
piecemeal and painstaking work. A
first look elicits an automatic response
of touching. Your fingers brush the
loops of heavy, hand-cut wool that give
the rug a weighty presence, and you
can't help but say to yourself: Some
work went into this.
For years. I have admired Reavis'
rugs — rugs that show white
Dominccker hens with detailed black
specks, strutting boldly in farmyards
alongside horses, farmers’ children,
oversized goats that eat whole trees,
and a striking red barn fashioned from
a gentleman's winter coat. Exquisite
mingled borders interweave a multitude
of colors. Detailed and luminous
flowers steal the attention away front
proverbs and wedding couples.
Acquaintance with her work came as
a result of my mother-in-law owning
some of Reavis' rugs. Harmony, where
my mother-in-law lives, is just one
town over from Reavis' Turkcyfoot.
The opportunity to meet Reavis came
when she offered to teach mv wife.
Left: Rcavis' rug
designs begin as a
template cut from
newsprint and
represent nearly a
century of
inspiration.
Right: With steady
hands. Zclma
Reavis tends her
