Featured Image Photo Credit: Kristin McCarthy

This past June “Huntsville Home” was accepted into the 2017, 38th Annual Insights Juried Exhibition of Fine Arts, organized by the Elora Arts Council and displayed at Wellington County Museum and Archives until Labour Day Weekend. It was a great honour to have my woolen painting selected for such an event. 159 pieces of artwork were submitted and only 60 chosen. I am grateful for the experience.

“Huntsville Home” is a woolen landscape where I knit and felted each piece, putting them together like a jigsaw puzzle. The moss covered tree is made using Italian ‘Grosso’ wool, a thick, chunky naturally coloured wool that looks like it was taken right off the sheep, cleaned and carded. My colour palette is neutral browns and taupes with shots of bright greens.

I was hiking in a forest in Huntsville and came across this hollowed out tree. The hole in the bottom looked just like a little doorway that you imagine in a fairytale book. Something must live there, but what? I will leave you to ponder this.

Featured Image Photo Credit: Kristin McCarthy

The Fine Art Society of Milton (FASM), of which I am a member, constructed a mural as a permanent art installation for The Mattamy National Cycling Centre in Milton, Ontario. The mural, made up of  original artwork from 80 artists, was unveiled just prior to the 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games. I had the privilege of participating in this installation by submitting “Ubiquitous Green”, a felted woolen landscape. It is on the top row, third one in from the left. It was an amazing experience and one that I will cherish.

Upon completion, I knew that I was onto something…and thus began my delight of felted woolen paintings.

Wool is a wonderful thing. Sculpting my hand-knit and crotched designs by felting, unleashes my creative side. The more I work with wool, the more ideas I have. There are so many beautiful colours and textures—the possibilities are endless. My woolen pieces go through a multistep process, whereby I either knit or crochet a design, subject it to a technique of wet and/or needle felting and then lastly, adding beads. I often pair unexpected colours together that make a truly unique piece.

I began making necklaces as a way to learn about wool; its behaviour and its abilities, as a way to make my prayer bead designs. What emerged were unique and pretty pieces of wearable fibre artwork. By adding beads or broken jewellery pieces, my necklaces began to take on a life of their own. I have a series of necklace themes that I create in many colour combinations. They are Basket of Flowers, Round Medallion, Rectangle, Rectangle Fringe, Trinity, Links, and Divine Mercy. I can customize any design to suit you. They are hand-made, one-of-a-kind pieces that you wear around your neck.

I also make Reclaimed Jewellery necklaces that use old or broken jewellery pieces to my felted designs. If you have a special piece of jewellery that is perhaps broken or parts missing, I may be able to give it new life.

Using both my prayer bead woolen ends and my necklace pieces, I create charming little woolen key chains as well, such as shamrock, sheep, rose, and flower medallion. (My list continues to grow)

I also make custom orders.

For more information, visit my Felted Wool page or contact me.