Felted Works

To create a felted landscape, I start by choosing a scene so quiet or so magnificent that it evokes a feeling of serenity or awe. That feeling stays with me as I use the softest of materials, merino wool, as if it were paint, applying it to a background of raw silk with a special barbed needle. The barbed needle has a series of tiny sharp notches that catch onto tiny, microscopic scales in the wool, similar to those of a pine cone. When the wool latches onto the notches on the barb, it is pushed through the background, adhering to it. I use the wool in portions as thin as a whisper, layering and combining the colors exactly as if they were painted and with faithfulness to the landscape scene I am creating. It is a meditative, quiet process. When the layering is complete, I embellish the scene with hand embroidery or machine-sew contours that add to the drama. This process creates a landscape of textured glory, which evokes the feeling of the original scene.