Much like pottery.
And like ceramics, the making of felt offers such tactical simplicity. And it’s this simplicity that drives me to explore its many and varied possibilities as a contemporary art medium.
With a background in garment construction and ceramics, felt-making became a natural coupling of the mediums I’ve explored.
Very quickly, felt became my preferred mode of artistic expression.
There’s a kind of alchemy that happens when you blend natural, raw materials with water, and your own physical energy.
My Creative Process
I’m led entirely by intuition, the inspiration around me and the materials I work with.
There is never a formula with my work.
As pieces evolve, layered arrangements of motifs, shapes, palettes, marks, patterns, and textures emerge.
They become expressions that subtly reflect emotions, impulses, and ideas that hold meaning for me. Often these are fragments of my life – echoing a time or a place, moments or memories imprinted upon me.
The ambiguity of the resulting artform and its surfaces belie their medium holding a fascination that invites touch and interaction.
While intensely personal, my works take on a life of their own, offering personal reflection and contemplation by all.
Inspiration
I’m constantly inspired by the Tasmania I see around me.
Not just the rich landscapes and ever-changing colours of nature.
It might be the beach and shoreline near my home, with its endless changing rhythms, lines and movements.
Or the captivating geological formations and stories of this island.
Patterns, textures, colours; the macro and micro - the rusticity of the old, ancient, worn, decayed … I find rich inspiration abounding.
Between Dimensions & Depths
Felt has a special kind of beauty not found in other art forms.
Especially when fleece is integrated with other mediums, such as papers, silk, and natural fibres.
Its appealing aesthetic features are deeper than what your first impressions will tell you.
Much of the detail in my work is not immediately obvious. And the more you look, the more you’ll find in each piece.
What may first look like a sculpture is anything but. What may appear to be a painting is something much more nuanced.
With a harmony between 2D and 3D pieces, my work offers promising variation – no matter the space or setting it occupies.