Home is where the art is…

A house is a shelter, but a home is…

I believe a home should be a place where you feel safe, free, you can just be you and feel loved by your family or the friends that may live with you or visit. A home shares your story and expresses your personal style and what inspires you through form, colour and texture. The significance of the items in your home extends beyond mere material existence. They can bring you a sense of calm, joy, and peace. Those that have stories behind them and meaning can bring comfort and support your well-being.
Art has the power to evoke emotions and create a sense of beauty and harmony in our lives, so choose pieces that resonate with your heart and soul.
‘Home is where the art is’ is where my exploration into felt making began…but that’s another story for another day.

Why do I use wool as my medium of expression as an artist?

I was thinking about this recently and realised I actually didn’t have the language around it as I just know this is what I am to do. I sat with this realisation and whilst listening to a podcast I suddenly had an aha moment.

Art and paintings in general can convey all kinds of messages, evoke all sorts of feelings, their beauty can comfort. In this respect I believe felt paintings can elevate this in a very tangible and visceral way. Wool is soft in texture, warm and comforting in itself.

I believe that Felt Art can help and comfort people in their journey towards healing during the most difficult seasons of life.

In cold weather, the natural inclination is to snuggle under a warm blanket for comfort. Similarly, during the cold and challenging periods of our lives, such as those marked by various forms of grief, I believe contemplating a cherished felt painting, finding beauty, special significance and meaning within it can offer solace and uplift our spirits amidst the anguish.

Not only is the end result important but also the processes to achieve this. I use both wet felting and needle felting techniques. Reflecting on this, these techniques are very different but both resonate with me about how life is sometimes. Wet felting is unpredictable. As an artist I plan each felt painting before I begin. However, then once the piece has been felted it will shrink and parts of the design will move out of place. Needle felting is slow but detail can be added. This is where I can have a bit more control over the final outcome.

Making a felt painting is a very tactile process throughout the various stages which I enjoy. During the process of making, the background chatter in my head quietens completely. Some refer this to as being in a ‘flow state’. A lot of patience is required. It is a slow craft. But sometimes in the pain and uncertainty of life that’s exactly what I need.

Delving into the process: Creating the colour palette for a felt painting.

Felt paintings are a textile artwork. Although they are referred to as felt paintings; there is no paint or canvas involved!

I use dyed merino wool tops instead of paint where an artist would use acrylic, oil or watercolour paint for example.

Paint is generally mixed using brushes or palettes knives. Wool is mixed using hand carders.

Hand carders consist of two rectangular wooden paddles covered with wire teeth. Dyed merino wool of varying colours can be blended to create a vast range of colours. When blending wool tops together, colour theory still applies . The wool may be blended fully or partially depending on your preference . In addition, other fibres can also be added to create variation and textural interest.

Before I create a felt painting there is a lot of preparation and research. Drawings are completed and scaled up to the desired size. I generally card all the different colours of wool I need for a piece before I lay it out to be wet felted together.

Introducing my blog – ‘The Scenic Route of Life’