Artwork 1: Summer Spires Felt Vase Wrap
The inspiration for this piece comes from the wide variety of colours found in the wildflowers growing in the field boundaries on the edge of our village. A true kaleidoscope of colours and forms which twist and shift in the breeze like the colours inside my childhood kaleidoscope. I chose to make a vase wrap as the cylindrical shape also pays reference to that favourite kaleidoscope toy I still have sitting on my desk.
Materials and Techniques.
I have used Merino Tops and sari silks wet felted as a 2d piece then wrapped and stitched as a cylindrical vase wrap. This piece stands alone as a 3d artwork or you can pop a jam jar or cut down plastic bottle inside, add water and flowers for use as a vase.
Artwork 2: Crab Nebula - Cosmic Explosion
My son studies Astrophysics at university so I have developed an interest in the images he often shares. The colour explosions caused by the reactive gas clouds that form the nebulae are simply beautiful. In this piece. I love the way the silks radiate out and how their strands create the texture and movement of the layers in the explosion of kaleidoscopic colours emerging from the centre of the image.
Materials and Techniques
I have used a predominantly Merino wool base with a mix of sari silks. This has been wet felted as a 2d piece. It has raw edges which reflect the shape of the nebula but I like the frame as it focuses your eye on more of the details
Artwork 3: The Kaleidoscope Bowl
The inspiration for this piece comes from the myriad of colours that exist within the borders of my garden. The blend of fibres evokes the kaleidoscope of colours and the nature of the plants scrambling upwards. The way they appear to reach from the base of the bowl and around its curved sides to the open-top reflects the nature of that reach for light and the peak of blue sky glimpsed at the edges of the rim. .
Materials and Techniques.
I used a Merino hand-carded blend of colours layered with sky blue carded batts and sari silks. This small tactile bowl was wet felted using a flat resist and once the resist was removed, the bowl was rubbed, rolled and shaped by hand to finish.
Click each image to enlarge the artwork