I created my own kit for working "en plein air" with wool fiber.
because I'd read that felting outdoors was impossible.
Over years of working with wool I've developed a unique method of felting where I first create a thick wool tile or canvas with multiple layers of fiber. This provides a stable surface so that when I am done wet felting, the canvas retains its shape and relatively smooth edges. This gives me the ability to mount and display the work similar to a painting.
My favorite subjects are from nature. The rural landscape where I live has a gentle beauty. Traveling on the county roads through covered bridges and past ancient barns, there is inspiration all around. Here on the farm I have my flower gardens, meadows, birds and butterflies.
This is my felted artwork display at a show in Virginia. I've been selling my art as a full-time endeavor since 2006. I started Shades of Nature while I was still working as a textile designer in Manhattan. Back then I was cooking my natural dyes outside in a shed because my little bungalow in NJ was too small. The decision to quit my NYC job, sell my house, and move to a farm in Pennsylvania was a major life altering event. I slowly acquired a small herd of alpacas and use their fiber in my business.
I have been fascinated with fiber and flowers since my earliest memories. My Hungarian grandmother had colorful embroidered textiles from "the old country" that I treasured. I remember picking flower blossoms to decorate my mud pies, getting in trouble for picking the neighbor's treasured bleeding heart! Little did I know that years later I would be picking basketfuls of flowers to extract natural dyes to color wool fiber for my felted artwork!
Nature has always been my muse. I've moved on from watercolor and acrylic to wool fiber, but my love for flowers and nature in general has been consistent. Past travels have also played a part in broadening my view and motivation. For now, life on my little alpaca farm is rich with colorful plant life and captivating subject matter. If I am not working in the studio I can be found in my gardens or hiking.
Some people call it painting with wool.
My exact method is a unique process, a combination of wet and dry felting, that I developed to maintain a clean edge on the art.. I create a wool canvas, then blend dyed wool colors and tack them down to create the design Hand felting with soapy water locks the fibers together, creating a unique artwork.
Before embarking on the path of a full time artist, I was a NY Fifth Avenue textile designer. Part of my job involved traveling including trips to China, India and Europe. The exposure to colors of other cultures has influenced my art. While working in NYC I also exhibited my acrylic paintings in juried shows there. Now I work in fiber and participate in Art Shows in seven states, including some of the top ranked events in the northeast.
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