Donna Holbeck and long-time best friend, Mandalay, enjoy a few of the dog’s favorite things designed into a hand-hooked wool rug. Dog biscuits, balls for chasing and “squeaking” and a paw print over a heart create a unique memory for years to come.
Vicki Ray
When fiber artist Donna Holbeck seeks inspiration, she looks to her surroundings. A former rug weaver, Holbeck tried rug hooking and was in love with the art form by her third project. She experiments with materials, techniques and subject matter. A thrift-store plate inspired one rug; watching quail outside her window inspired another. A bathroom remodel spawned complementary designs for ‘his and hers’ rugs. Holbeck’s enthusiasm for hooking spurred her to invest in good equipment and convert a guest room into her studio.
Holbeck, noticing her shih tzu, Mandalay, moves from one hooked rug to another, decided the much-loved dog needed a rug of her own. The design is based on Mandalay’s favorite things. Mandalay joined the family almost 15 years ago, and Holbeck says the rug will help her remember and honor this most important family member when she is gone. “Mandalay is a smart dog,” says Holbeck. “She spent much of her life riding in a special box fixed to the front of our ATV.” Mandalay was nine months old when she had that first ride in Colorado, and Holbeck smiles as she recalls the puppy leaning into the wind wearing her eye-protecting “doggles.” The doggles are long ago retired and Mandalay now enjoys a sunny spot near a window. “She’s been a joy,” says Holbeck. “She’s a delightful breed of dog.”
See Donna Holbeck’s current project and those of other hooking club members in the Diamondback Room of the Creative Arts Center Mondays, from noon till closing.