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Thoughts on the making of a Prince and meeting the subject of my portrait... photo: Joseph Hopfner It seems I've been able to spark the imagination of a country by showing what can be done with wool as a medium for fine art. I had the privilege of presenting my life sized needle-felted wool busts of His Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to Prince Charles in St. John's NL during the May 2022 Royal Tour of Canada. It started with someone seeing my faces made of wool and imagining that the Patron of the Campaign For Wool should be made with Canadian wool to celebrate the 10th global anniversary of the campaign, and, after a global pandemic put a stop to the planned unveiling, looking ahead to the Jubilee and thinking that a bust of Her Majesty could be commissioned as well. It happened with a creative spirit and a quiet studio to experiment so that a small heart of needle-felted wool could eventually morph into a life-size bust of a monarch, then two. The subject for the portrait seemed daunting at first. After a week I thought - “I make faces; that is what I do” - and got to work, as usual, trying to understand and capture the essence of the person. Like all my pieces, whether they are portraits or not, I enjoy my time in the studio with them. I feel I get to know them and have great “conversations” about life and beliefs. The wool has its say in the pieces as well, collaborating to make cheeky grins or adding a bit of fun with curls. The act of needle-felting, similar to pointillism, adds to the overall meaning – pushing and pulling the wool tighter and tighter. So many small gestures build the piece, build our lives, build the fabric of our communities. Art can do that – strengthen the fibre of communities. For the Royal Tour, Campaign For Wool Canada had organized a roomful of creative people who love to work with wool to make exquisite pieces. The Prince was gracious, interested, funny and knowledgeable. After watching him interact with everyone in the room and speaking with him, I felt that I had done him justice in my sculpture. It was amazing to be able to talk about my process, the technique, the wool, and also to explain what my intent was for the piece. I'm happy to have done my part to put fibre art in the news these last weeks. I often think back to advice that was given to me at a juror's lecture when I asked about not finding a place for my work in juried show submissions: “Just keep putting your work out there and they'll catch up eventually.” photos above and below: Emily Christie The two busts were not conceived at first to be shown together and, not having seen the Prince's bust for over a year when I was asked to make the bust of Her Majesty, I was nervous about seeing them side by side. The sculptures are all needle-felted wool – that includes the eyes, teeth, clothing, jewellery, hair... There is a threaded metal rod that goes through the wool body to attach it to the wood base; the earrings and necklace are attached with jewellery clasps and hooks. I was taken aback by how much I had missed the first bust when I saw him at Government House. He needed a couple of touch-ups after his travels. The bust of Prince Charles and Her Majesty are on loan to Government House in St. John's NL by the Campaign For Wool Canada, June 2022. A short film of the making of the Queen's bust is in the works. Everyone is invited to attend this event. Manitoba fibre artist and needle felter Rosemarie Péloquin. Rosemarie will share why she loves using wool as an artistic medium, talk about her Campaign for Wool commissions, and relate her experience meeting HRH The Prince of Wales as part of the recent Royal Visit to Canada. The event will consist of brief opening remarks, speaker's presentation and ample time for Q&A. Participation is free, but registration is required. Register HERE.

One of our members, Greta Hildebrand tells us about her gallery in Jordan, Ontario. She is one of the artist/owners. Jordan is a wonderful place to spend a day with many charming shops and restaurants. It is the home of the felt making supplier, the Fibre Garden and the home of Greta's art, the Jordan Art Gallery. shop photos: Greta Hildebrand Heading east on the Wine Route at the base of the Niagara escarpment, you’ll discover the historic town of Jordan, nestled within the larger area of Lincoln. Situated in the former Jordan Winery among Inns, restaurants, boutiques and a fibre specialty shop and brand-new museum just steps away on Main Street, is the Jordan Art Gallery. It’s not new, in fact the gallery has celebrated over 20 years of outstanding service to artists and art lovers, earning it the Diamond award for art Galleries in Niagara, 2021. As you enter, you’ll be greeted by one of the 7 artist partners who own and operate the business; but their own art doesn’t limit the eclectic range of work. Consignment artists from Niagara and the larger Golden Horseshoe area extend the diversity of paintings, printmaking, sculpture, pottery and raku, glass, woodwork, jewelry and textile art. The “Spotlight” wall is changed monthly during the tourist season. This juried feature is part of the Gallery’s outreach aimed at presenting to the public an outstanding Ontario artist. Gallery partners Greta Hildebrand and Mori McCrae work with fibre and textiles. photo: Greta Hildebrand, Hayfields from the Friendship Trail, Ridgeway, 11x14", needle felted wool and silk Greta’s needle felted work is inspired by her observations of nature and having lived and explored various parts of Niagara. As a Fine Artist, she uses the same process that she would in painting, but instead using layers of blended fibres and colours. Her experience as a handspinner allows her to incorporate handspun yarns in the final detailing. A variety of dyed and natural silks, wools and plant fibres allow for a range of textures and colours, inviting the viewer to feel and explore as the artist herself has done. photo: Mori McCrae, "To The Core" 18x12x12 soft sculpture canvas and felt Mori’s fibre and textiles pieces explore the many facets of her work. Her formal education as a Fine Artist allows her to move fluidly between paint, fibre, textiles and poetry. Inspired by the figure, her latest soft sculpture pieces bring her to the “core” of life, and explore senescence; the biochemical decline of organic matter, used as a metaphor for human aging. Mori will also be exhibiting her work at the Grimsby Art Gallery this June. photo: Melanie Siegel During April 2022, the Spotlight artist is felt and bead artist Melanie Siegel. Melanie says: “The Canadian landscape is the inspiration for my work in textile making. It is the atmosphere and the chaotic disarray of the natural world, it is the mountains and forests, the richness of nature that gives rise to the expressive quality in my work. As I continue to explore and develop the creation of textiles as a form of art composition, I attempt to push the boundaries of traditional methods. Weaving painterly tapestries, machine embroidery using thread to create fabric, hand and machine stitching and the specialty art of felt making, my work embraces a spirit of experimentation in textile." The Jordan Art Gallery is open throughout the year with hours changing slightly between winter and summer. If you’re considering a visit, jordanartgallery.com will provide current hours and more details about the artists.

Join felt :: feutre canada president Chris Liszak to see how she makes yardage for her fabulous felted coats. felt :: feutre canada members only Have you ever considered making felt yardage for a tailored coat (or other garment) but were not sure how to start? This Art Talk will tackle the math, layout and planning involved in making Yardage of Felt for your sewing project. This will not focus on a specific coat, but more the method to succeed with YOUR pattern and YOUR style of feltmaking. Slide show plus audience Q&A. There will also be a PDF available to work through when you are ready to make your yardage. This is the second of the series of Art Talks available to the members of felt :: feutre canada in 2022. We grow together as a community of Canadian feltmakers by learning from each other.

a Canadian feltmakers community christianna ferguson Home: Welcome felt :: feutre canada this website will disappear by the end of 2023 please enjoy the content now. there is a lot of felting information available and glorious photos of the artistic efforts of our members over the last 6 years. To allow access to any final events and information, make sure you "subscribe" to our mailing list. It's been a fun ride....

The History of felt :: feutre canada's Exhibitions Links to past exhibitions These are links to ISSUU publications, and are best viewed on a large laptop or desktop screen. Enjoy the amazing works of our members past and present. ​ Migration Published on Nov 7, 2017 2016 exhibition catalogue The exhibition theme, migration, can be interpreted in many ways: the physicality of the medium, patterns in the natural world, our human migrations through travel and (im)migration, exploring current/historic social attitudes. The exhibition includes the work of 39 Canadian feltmakers and artists working in felt as their medium. ​ Find it HERE Transitions :: Contemporary Canadian Felt Exhibition Published Nov 7, 2017 Online Exhibition Catalogue This exhibition explores the theme of Transitions from the perspective of seventeen felt-feutre canada members. Each feltwork includes two unique areas, with a connecting transition zone. felt :: feutre canada strives to create engaging exhibition opportunities for its members, and through these exhibitions, to provide a public platform to showcase the work of Canadian feltmakers and artists working in felt as their medium. See more HERE felt :: feutre contemporary canadian felt exhibition The very first exhibition from the very beginnings of what would become felt :: feutre canada. It is a beautiful colaboration of very talented feltmakers. A wonderful read. ​ Find it HERE ​ Shrine :: an exhibition of feltmaking 2018 This exhibition was installed at the symposium in Nova Scotia. ​ find it HERE

puppets: Fay Hodson puppets: Fay Hodson puppets: Fay Hodson Featured entry: Feeling Cheeky Feeling Cheeky Materials and Techniques: Wool, silk hankies, mohair, viscose, wire, pigment Needle felting and wet felting Artwork size in CM: Width……28…… Length………49..……… Depth………16……… Elise Campbell As I pondered the theme of this exhibition I considered what it is that makes me laugh, and the one thing I kept returning to is my children and how their pants often seem to sit just below their bum cracks. Perhaps it is childish of me that butts still make me laugh, but there we have it! And that's how Esme came to be - she had been on the time out shelf for over a year (no fault of her own) and through a few sketches I finally discovered her destiny - to amuse you with her cheek(s)! She is built over a wire armature with ample behind and dons wet felted booties and a homemade cross-back apron (should have opted for the ties!) And, in spite of surviving a full double hand replacement, she still can never tame her pearly mohair locks . View the whole Make Me Laugh Gallery through the button below. Make Me Laugh