~ Wearable Fiber Art ~

~ Abstract Acrylic Paintings ~

Felting

The ancient art of felting is what holds fascination for me. It's all about tactile pleasure... the creation of dimensional texture and design… it’s like painting with fiber.

In Felting, loose wool and other fibers are layered together and saturated with soapy water. Physical agitation causes the loose fibers to interlock with each other. The process causes shrinkage of the wool fibers, which pull the other fibers along with them, creating sinuous, organic textures. This is what excites me about felting! Glossy embellishment fibers like silk and bamboo make these textures even make alluring.

In a twist on traditional felting, Nuno felting incorporates fabric into the process, creating even more dimension as the wool fibers migrate through the fabric and make it fold and wrinkle during felting.  I often use my painted silk in nuno felted pieces. Soft wool and shimmering silk... what's not to love?

Acrylic Painting

I've recently started exploring acrylics and have fallen in love with the pouring method. This means that the paint - which is usually like a gel - is made more fluid and pourable by the addition of water and fluid acrylic mediums. Instead of using a brush, the paint is poured and dripped onto the support (canvas or sealed panel), then the support  is tilted and turned to make the paint move around the canvas. Fingers, a palette knife, and air blown onto the wet paint, creates further movement. This technique is about 3 parts "going with the flow"  and 1 part (or less) "control"!

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