Keith Kemmer

Being raised on goat’s milk and lamb chops gave Keith an early affection for wool. Starting back in the ’70s, he experimented with fiber, like a lot of us. The ’80s gave way to art school and a short foray into black and white minimalism. Keith found his way back to fiber in 1989 as a weaver. With a focus on functional fiber, Keith wove blankets, towels, scarves (lots of scarves!) and rugs. In 1995, he mocked a flyer for rug hooking classes but soon found himself a “permanent” student of a budding teacher. Over the past few years, Keith has driven thousands of miles to hook. Because of his earlier mocking, you could say the joke is on him!

Keith’s focus on hooking is moving toward primitives, trying more and more to hook and design like the early rug makers. He looks for beauty in the simple and the honest. “The early rugs have a timelessness and humility that comes from the hooker’s heart. It doesn’t get any better than that!”

©2000 Keith Kemmer. All rights reserved.