Felting in the UK

I am nearing the end of an exciting four and a half month adventure touring the UK, visiting family and friends and felting!

Dagmar Binder Master Class, Scotland

In August I traveled to Newburg, Scotland to study with Dagmar Binder (website: textillabor) at the creative space, Big Cat Textiles (website: textile centre).  Among the serious felters in attendance was Nicola Brown from Ireland (website: clasheen.wordpress.com) and Susan Dixon from California. The master class  was six days long (we felted until 11:00pm most nights!), and we learned how to add structure and 3-dimentional elements to our work.

Workshop with Andrea Hunter

I spent a lovely day with artist Andrea Hunter in her charming studio in Hardraw, in the heart of Wensleydale, England. Andrea paints and draws her environment with wool; her pieces are stunning and evocative (website: focus on felt). The techniques I learned will allow me to improve my designs on shawls, vessels and wall hangings.

Felting Retreat with Nicola Brown

What a fun time we had eco dyeing and felting at Nicola's beautifully restored farmhouse, Clasheen! We were joined by charming and talented Miséal Ni Dhochartaigh and Japanase master felter Leiko Uchiyama (website: leikofelt). My husband contributed as chief chef so we could felt all day! Nicola helped me felt a raw fleece bag that is composed of wool I collected on my walks, fleece from Scottish highland sheep, native Irish sheep and others. It is full of memories and makes me smile! I also made a nuno felt shawl based on rock wall imagery.

Fleece bag from Nicola's Felting Retreat.

All it needs is the leather handles:

Nicola's dog, Rex, and me with my rock wall inspired shawl:

Leave of Absence from OLAS

I will be taking a leave of absence from my OLAS studio until mid-September. During that time, felter Jenine Windeshausen will be a visiting artist in my studio. She does stunning work, and I hope you will go visit her and the other OLAS artists during the public events there this summer.

New Phalaenopsis Shawl

This mosaic style shawl has ten pieces of silk in each flower felted with merino wool. Many of the silk pieces were hand dyed. The design is based on the one of the drawings I made for the silk painted phanaenopsis banners below.

New Work for the Pacific Orchid Exhibition

Keith and I will be showing our paintings and batiks at the San Francisco POE this year.

Fort Mason Festival Pavilion

Friday, February 24 through Sunday, February 26

Join us! It will be a beautiful and extensive show of orchids.

For more information, visit Orchids San Francisco

These are two 3'x9' banners I painted for the show.

Indonesian Batik Presentation and Trunkshow!

This will be an exciting event! Keith and I are hosting Agus Ismoyo and Nia Fliam, internationally known batik artists from Indonesia. They have graciously agree to give a presentation and trunk show at the Arts Building, November 15 at 6:30. Join us!