Lifelike Canines Lounge in Emily O’Leary Uncanny Hooked Rugs
“Fluffy-Tailed Ticked Dog” (2022), hand-hooked mostly-wool yarn on linen. All images courtesy of Emily O’Leary, shared with permission
Lifelike Canines Lounge in Emily O’Leary Uncanny Hooked Rugs
January 13, 2025
ArtCraft
Kate Mothes
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Most dogs spend at least half of their day asleep—some getting z’s for upwards of 18 hours. Whether curled up on the floor or enjoying a long-legged stretch, the subjects of Emily O’Leary’s rugs evoke our beloved pets.
Based on photographs of actual dogs, she focuses mostly on animals the artist doesn’t know. “I like to hook dogs that are pretty ‘mutty’ looking, that don’t look like yard-bound Golden Retrievers or Doodles,” she tells Colossal. “I’m attracted to the shared history of humans and dogs—how the bulk of their domestication may have happened somewhat inadvertently.”
“Injured Elbow Dog” (2020), hand-hooked wool yarn on linen
Employing a carpet-making technique called rug hooking, the earliest form of which can be traced to Northern England in the early 19th century, O’Leary spends several months on a single piece. Compared to tufting, “It’s a slower, more traditional process,” she says, but the process allows each individual loop to be applied at a different height, giving her the ability to create three-dimensional reliefs.
O’Leary learned to make rugs after predominantly focusing on embroidery. When some friends organized an exhibition themed around dogs, she had the idea to make a work in the shape of a life-size canine. “I’m lucky that the rugs sort of do inspire tender feelings in the people who see them, but that they’re also a bit uncanny,” she says.
The pieces’ weight and realistic details engender an intimate connection as they come to life, so to speak. “I really feel like I’ve built a relationship with the object,” she says, adding: “Sometimes the dogs I hook have wounds or scars. The dog rug I’m working on right now is missing a little chunk of her ear. I want to depict them as they are, not stuffed animal versions.”
Find more on O’Leary’s website and Instagram.
“Brown and Black Dog” (2021), hand-hooked wool yarn on linen
Detail of “Mottled-leg Dog” (2024), hand-hooked wool yarn on linen
“Sandy Reddish Dog” (2023), hand-hooked mostly-wool yarn on linen
Photo by Bucky Miller
Photo by Bucky Miller
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