Lynn Uhrich Smith
Remembered. A Small Chronicle of Much Loved Views…

Date installed: April, 2025
Textile Art

Welcome to the Rines Virtual Gallery, and to the magic that is Weston resident Lynn Uhrich Smith’s captivating work. Lynn’s medium is rug hooking, using a technique that “allows one to use yarn as if it was paint, by pulling up loops of different colors to build a palette and establish form. Of all of the textile work I have ever done, it provides the greatest possibility of creative expression by allowing one to conjure up a field of flowers or a rocky shoreline through the use of a hook, a piece of linen backing, a length of yarn, and a simple stitch.”

Lynn’s creativity captures the spectacular coast of Maine, “where one is surrounded by marvelous views that are engrained in my memory.” And, she continues, “It is from the remembrance of those that I draw my inspiration.” It is also the place where—no small coincidence—she met Mary Jo and Mel Rines and their family, nearby neighbors on Southport Island.

Long an art lover, Lynn was a docent at the Harvard University Art Museum. She began rug hooking through the encouragement of a friend, and “Although my great-grandmother hooked rugs, she hooked traditional patterns made from strips of woolen cloth that had been cut from old clothes; these rugs were meant for practical purposes and used to keep cold floors warm while providing some decoration. Their dull colors and matte texture did little to inspire me, so I turned to other sources and discovered the work of Nova Scotia’s Deanne Fitzpatrick whose innovative style of hooking broke old models and imbued fresh life into a time honored craft.”

We are fortunate to be able to share Lynn’s wonderful work. We hope you enjoy it.

Best wishes,
The First Parish Art Committee

We hope you enjoy Lynn’s work. If you’d like, you can click below to send her a comment or question…

The size of my wall hangings enables me to work in a more abstract manner while still capturing the essence of place. Two of the pieces were inspired the currents and colors of the Caribbean Sea, and the other is a design drawn by the artist Deanne Fitzpatrick, and hooked to evoke the colors of a peacock who allowed me to walk beside him in India.

Many of my small landscapes are memories of views seen from the rocks in front of our cottage in Maine, while others represent the coastline of Rio de Janiero, with the lights of the city spilling into the sea. As with all of my pieces, they evoke memories of places I have lived and loved.