Penny Irvine
Scotland
www.pennyirvine.com
Facebook: @pennyirvinefibreartist
Artwork 1
Nightfire
So many of our wild animals are at risk of extinction and I feel that we should strive to reconnect with the animal world and our responsibility to protect and nurture it. It is thought that only 3900 wild tigers exist globally. They have declined by 95% since the beginning of the 20th century.
These beautiful creatures are illegally poached and their skin and bones are used in luxury products and traditional medicines. This, alongside loss of habitat, has led to their endangered status and unless we reconnect with our compassion and love for the animal kingdom then animals such as Tigers may be lost to future generations and may only exist in Zoos or museum exhibits.
Materials and Techniques
Needle felted onto hand dyed vintage blanket
Artwork size in CM: Width 20.3cm…………. Length 25.4cm………..…Depth 0.5cm
Artwork 2
Thin Ice.
Our planet is warming and we are starting to see changes in our weather and climate, Nowhere is this more apparent than in the Arctic Circle. 95% of the oldest and thickest sea ice in the Arctic is already gone. If emissions continue to rise unchecked we could be free of sea ice in the summer by 2040. This would have a catastrophic impact on wildlife and our weather systems and melting sea ice will cause devastating rises in sea levels and coastal erosion. These are very real threats to wildlife and coastal communities and we need to reconnect to our planet and move towards a cleaner, greener future. For too many years now people have focused only on their own needs and not those of our planet, it is now time to redress that balance before it is too late.
Materials and Techniques
Needle felted onto hand dyed vintage blanket
Artwork size in CM: Width 20.3cm…………. Length 25.4cm……… Depth 0.5cm
Artwork 3
Wisdom of Ages
This piece was primarily created to highlight the plight of elephants around the world. Every day around 55 Elephants are killed for their tusks and it is a shameful fact that there is still a market for illegal Ivory in Asia which drives the illegal killing of these magnificent animals. What also hits home in this picture is the closeness and humanity of these creatures. The matriarchs pass on wisdom to the young females and much like humans they care for their young and mourn their dead. As we hopefully move towards a new post pandemic world we all keenly feel the value of contact with others and recognise the importance of closeness, touch, shared values and being together in joy and pain. We need to reconnect to that basic need of humanity and see it reflected in other species. They are not so different from us and deserve the right to life without fear of persecution and to be valued and protected for future generations.
Materials and Techniques
Needle felted onto hand-dyed vintage blanket.
Artwork size in CM:
Width 20.3cm……… Length 25.4cm……….. Depth 0.5cm
