Jane Firth

UK

www.ullswaterfeltart.com
Twitter: @ullswaterfelt
Instagram: @ullswaterfeltart 
Facebook: @UllswaterFelt

Artwork 1 
Old English Goat.

Reconnecting British Farming with its traditional breeds: Old English Goat
I wish to play my part in reconnecting British farming with its traditional breeds.  Since 2018 I have been needle-felting my way through the Rare Breeds Survival Trust Watchlist to raise awareness of these important breeds.  The newest addition to the Watchlist is the Old English Goat, which is critically endangered. Before the 19th Century these goats were on every small-holding where a couple of goats efficiently provided both milk and meat just by eating whatever native flora was available. They are thought to have come across from Europe with the first farmers when there was still a land bridge.

 Materials and Techniques.:
Wet-felting, needle-felting and machine embroidery using wool, silk and alpaca fibre.
Artwork size in CM: Width……30……… Length…30……… Depth………1

 

Artwork 2 
North Ronaldsay ram.

Reconnecting British Farming with its traditional breeds: North Ronaldsay sheep
The DNA of the North Ronaldsay is 8000 years old but they are now classified as vulnerable by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, whose mission it is to ensure that none of our native breeds of farm animal become extinct. They store DNA to help with this because it could prove important in the future. Since 1832, North Ronaldsay sheep have thrived on a diet of seaweed because they are confined to the beach by a 1.8m high wall on the island of North Ronaldsay. We now know that ruminants that eat seaweed produce far less methane, which we would never have known without these sheep!

Materials and Techniques: 
Wet-felting, needle-felting and machine embroidery using locally sourced North Ronaldsay wool.

Artwork size in CM: Width……30.……… Length……30…… Depth……1

 

Artwork 3 
White Galloway.

Reconnecting British Farming with its traditional breeds: White Galloway
The Galloway demonstrates the Rare Breeds Survival Trust motto ‘right breed, right place, right density.’ It is one of the world’s oldest breeds of cattle which has adapted to thrive in the cold, damp climate of the Galloway region of Scotland eating limited grasses and the roughest forage. They are hardy, long lived cattle with a shaggy coat that has a woolly undercoat for warmth and stiff guard hairs that shed the rain. They are smaller than some of the modern European beef cattle that need housing indoors over winter and feeding on imported concentrates. Winter feed costs for the Galloway are minimal because of their superior ability to thrive outside all year in the British landscape. The White Galloway is an efficient converter of a wide variety of native flora into beef that is low in both fat and saturated fat and high in Omega 3. 

Materials and Techniques 
Wet-felting and needle-felting using wool, alpaca and silk 
Artwork size in CM: Width…30.……… Length……30……… Depth…1……..