Full Article for FilzFun

photo: Moja Ma’at; Felt Dresses by Jenne Giles; Styling by Angelica Garde; MUA by Kenya of Ruby Envy; Hair by Diana Regua; Models: Monika & Sara

Here is the original material for FilzFun 35 by Marion Kaesmayr & myself.  It was such a fun interview to respond to and Marion did a marvelous job translating, editing, and laying out the text with images from a photoshoot we did in North Beach for the printed magazine (which is beeea-utiful!).  As is natural, some lovely bits were cut from the final printed article in the interest of space.  Without further ado, here is the full text.

Who is Jenne?

(tell us something about your life and work and so on…)

 I am a feltmaker in San Francisco.  I have lived in California for 12+ years.  Prior to that, I lived for many years in the cities of Austin and Houston, in the state of Texas.  Houston is where my family lives and where I went to university, studied art history, and fell in love with sculpture.  At the time, I was working with welding machines, flame torches, and hammers to make biomorphic sculptures which combined vegetable and human forms out of steel.

When I moved to California in 1999, I continued to work primarily in metal as a sculptor and installation artist.  For example, one early project was a 17-foot tall ribcage made from steel pipes that was built to resemble a birdcage.  A swing hung down from the center so that a person would sit where the heart should be, simulating a heartbeat when swinging.   During this creative period, I also made many costumes.  Through the ephemeral medium of costuming, I could play with self-expression, spontaneity, street theater, and evolving themes & characters.  Often the challenge was to make a costume from scratch in 24 hours or less.  Working on a tight deadline can be a great way to unlock your creative expression because there is little time for fussing.  I made colorful costumes and mixed-media metal sculptures for many years and enjoyed this time of unbridled creative exploration.

 

From 2000-2005, I apprenticed in a metal workshop where we made architectural elements for homes such as fancy railings or staircases. During the apprenticeship, I learned many professional trade skills including how to run a small business, manage a production shop, and contract for jobs, as well as the many intricate techniques for creating top-quality finished work.  After some time, I became increasingly concerned about the health implications of working in metal, so I decided to start my own business.   The only problem was that I did not know what to do!

 

I began to look for a new medium that could combine my love for color, sculpture & costuming, allow me to meet crafty & artistic people, and work with non-toxic materials.  That is how I discovered feltmaking.  Since then I have been felting up a storm and building a business around making wearable art.

 

Spiritually, I am a bit of an avant-gardist that likes to make unexpected things of beauty.   I relish that genuine moment of surprise, both in myself and in others. 

 

Where in the world are you living?

 My studio is located in San Francisco, in the neighborhood where the clothing company Esprit was first started.  It is a colorful part of town with much industry, art, fashion and design going on.  I recently married and we moved our home to Oakland, which I love very much.

 

 

When did you decide to become a artist?

 The art bug bit me early in life.  Through difficult periods, it has always been a safe place where I could go for refuge & growth.  I was fortunate to be accepted into a Magnet Arts High School in 1990, where studying visual art became the foundation of my learning and personal development.  It was wonderful to be in a place where one was appreciated for one’s individuality and not harassed for being different.  Since then, I have been dedicated to the arts throughout my adult life in one form or another,

 

 

What made you choose the materials that you work with?

 Wool & felting are very versatile, so I think this is why I choose to work principally with wool.  However, I still consider myself to be a mixed-media artist, with an open mind to all materials.  Because felting moves so fluidly between painting and sculpture, the wool medium has been an excellent jumping-off point for mixed-media work.

 

My business is built around wearable art pieces with a fashion/design sensibility, so “wearability” plays an important role in choosing materials.  A good design will not only look good but will be comfortable to wear.  Therefore, I choose very fine wools and enjoy blends that include fibers such as bamboo, silk, or tencel, for their special look and feel.   I also enjoy working and responding to exotic materials like yak, cashmere or camel, imagining the history, places, and wonderful creatures that these materials come from. 

 

What other materials would you like to work with in?

 For my wearable work, I am fascinated by some of the new fibers that are just coming to market such as those made from pineapple or milk.  I am also interested in new fabrics for nuno felting and have lately enjoyed working with stretch materials.  Recently, magnets have been a fun venue for experimentation and I continue to explore the variety of zippers, buttons, threads, etc, that make a felt garment functional and give it a professional finish.

 

For my fine art work, I am currently exploring felt and its relationship to painting.  I have a strong desire to pursue more sculptural ideas and hope that my path will send me in that direction soon.

 

 

Which technics do you prefer?

 I prefer nuno felting, as I can make lighter pieces with more focus on design rather than structure.  I love working with resists, which offer the challenge of a 3-dimensional product and subtle design variations, and blocking, which can give a clean, finished body to a felt work. 

 

Where do you get your inspiration from?

 I like to think about the unexplored space between things and to “connect the dots” that have not been connected yet.  Many projects begin with “has it been done yet in this way?” or “this would be an awesome combination!” or maybe if I try this….,” and then seeing what happens.  There is certainly a spark of inspiration but there is also much learned in the process of doing.

 

To me, this artistic process is about sensory awakening:  being open to the world through your senses by truly seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting or touching.  When your mind is open and your senses are fully engaged, you can experience the world as it is: rich with variation, mystery and surprise.  Felting is an excellent way to embrace the unexpected and to move through the creative process from inspiration to discovery (and back again).

 

Personally, I am inspired by geometry, color, form, structure, design, surprise, poetry, nature, perception, and the irresistible impulse to interact with the great big mess of it all.

 

What motivates you?

 The desire to create and to be creative; the desire to be involved and to interact with others; and the desire to connect things and to learn.

 

Do you create your work in a studio  or a home base?

 For the first 2 years, I worked out of my home.  I sloshed many wet, sloppy projects through our living room to get them from my small working space to the rolling machine outside.  I commandeered the shower, bathtub, and sink for many years in our tiny apartment.  “Where there is a will, there is a way” they say, but the carpeting did suffer.

 

In 2007, I moved into a studio space.  My husband and I built it ourselves, putting up walls and shelves and installing doors and sinks.  I even overcame my personal phobia of plumbing- a big triumph!  It is nice to have a space of my own where I can go to be creative.  It has also been very important to have the dedicated space for running my business in an organized way….or at least as organized as creative spaces can be. 

 

 

Crafts in the 21th Century, what does it means to you?

 A very interesting question!

 

I believe that craft offers an antidote to much of what we are experiencing in the 21st Century.  This era is identified as being the Information Age, with the internet tying us all together and allowing us access to infinite information.  The plus side of this is that there is vast wisdom now available to most people; the downside is that it can be an intellectual-overload where we become lost in the sheer volume of information. 

 

Many hours can be spent in front of a computer screen absorbing information, but it is not until we apply that information through doing that we truly learn it.  In fact, one could argue that we learn so much more in the doing of things (using our hands, minds and senses in concentrated effort), than we could ever learn through reading/studying alone. After all, as humans we are the “tool-makers” who learn by working with our hands—this is how we build skills, learn, express ourselves, think creatively, and develop as individual people.

 

Craft is inclusive and it brings us together. Everyone can master a craft.  Everyone has something to contribute to craft.  So, individually, craft offers us new ways to learn, to be productive, to be involved, and to appreciate the work of others.  Combined with the internet, craft allows people to interact and form communities, both locally and internationally.  Therefore, being involved with a craft is an antidote to the separation and loneliness that many experience in the Information Age.  So on a larger level, craft empowers people, creates community, generates economies, and generally makes this a more peaceful and respectful world.  

 

Add to all of this that craft is historically related to the small-scale production of goods, and this makes modern-day crafting a good remedy for living in the global, big-business world where our day is filled with fast-moving, anxious advertising to buy the latest must-have item from generic, impersonal box stores.  Craft is a way to make things that allows us the option to contribute in a personal way rather than to consume.  It is an opportunity to slow down and enjoy, making life more satisfying.

 

In my opinion, the more craft we have in the world, the better the 21^st Century world will be.

 

How do you sell and promote your work?

 I first started my business in 2005 through a local arts-business program in San Francisco.  This helped me write my business plan and gave me access to a local marketplace for selling my goods.  This early experience allowed me to develop my products and to hear feedback from the public, which helped me to improve.  I did this for a few years until I had learned the basics: making and selling my feltwork, running the business, and refining my particular “voice” (or defining my “brand” as it is called in marketing).

 

After that, I showed at many of the national craft shows in the US.  This allowed me to practice my craft at a more professional level.  Each year has offered new and changing opportunities for growth.  I win some, I lose some, but the most important thing is being out there.  By doing shows, I meet new people and visit new places.  By having an online presence, I can meet people all over the world and can be easier to find.

 

My advice would be to try different things and keep challenging yourself.  If the goal was just to sell a lot, there are many better business models for doing that.  For me, running a small craft-based business allows me to pursue the goals of personal and artistic growth coupled with the opportunity for new experiences.  These goals have a value that cannot be measured in money alone.  I believe that a big secret of marketing is that you will discover your market and your message through the process of discovering yourself.

 

What’s your typical working day like?

 First off, I get up and make a strong espresso. 

 I like to work on the computer in the morning: reading the news, catching up with email, and working on writing projects such as my blog (http://feltworks.wordpress.com).  I spend some time with my husband in the morning and drink a healthy fruit-vegetable juice.  Sometimes we go for a morning walk around the lake that is near our house.

 

Next, I drive or take the train from Oakland to my studio in San Francisco.   When I am in the studio, the first thing I do is turn on my electric kettles and music.  I take care of any office stuff that needs doing or any packaging and shipping that should go out.  Then I can start felting.   

 

A felting day, for me, is one of two things: either making creative projects/experiments or doing production.  If it is a creative day, I like to be able to be fully immersed in the moment.  If it is a production day, then my mind is focused on producing my pieces efficiently and beautifully.  I don’t like to switch gears between the two.

 

When I am making creative pieces, I am venturing into new territories and playing with the wool and colors in new combinations.  This I do to design new production pieces or to make unique items for art projects, whether it is a dress, a painting or a sculpture.  When I do production, I am repeating the same steps to make a particular design over and over again.  This can have a nice Zen to it, as I get lost in the rhythm of making.  Both are very interesting ways of working and have their own state of being and ways of interacting with materials and tools.  Perhaps each process uses different parts of the brain….all I know is that I make a mess when I try to do both on the same day.

 

 

What is your working style?

 I would describe my working style as a shotgun approach: taking risks and making many things.  Then I look at what I have made, harvesting the good from the bad.  If there is something really promising, it is time to develop the product further by refining the look, fine-tuning the process of making the piece, or by exploring combinations of other materials & colors.  I take many notes and keep track of variations in case I need to recreate them again.  It is an organic process where many branches are growing at once and occasionally they bear fruit.

 

 

3 words of advice for an Textile Artist?

 experiment, listen, persevere.

 

Do you have a colour you love most?

 I love all colors.  They are like musical notes and it is their combination that is most enchanting to me.

 

Who is your favourite artist?

 Nick Cave, a textile artist who makes wearable sculptures that are brought to life in performance.

 

Which artist do you want to meet?

 If of all time, perhaps Leonardo De Vinci, Marcel Duchamp, or Fridha Kahlo. 

 

What music do you listen to?

 I like the Orb for working in studio.  We call it “Spa Music.”

 

Three likes and dislikes?

 I like:

 

pistachio ice cream

warm, fuzzy, dry socks

spending time with family & friends

 

I dislike:

 a mess

bullies

intolerance

 

 

What do you do to relax?

 My favorite thing to do is travel, whether it is taking a trip to a local hiking trail, visiting another culture through cooking, or taking a mental vacation by reading a good book.  I find all of these things relaxing in their own way.

 

 

Do you plan a exhibition, book-project or something like this?

 In 2010, I published a book called Felt Fashion: Couture Projects from Garments to Accessories with the help of a production team from Los Angeles.  When the producers first asked me to write a book, I did a lot of soul-searching about whether I had something worthwhile to contribute, especially when there are so many great felting books already available.   At the time, I was learning much about pattern-making, couture sewing & garment construction and I felt there were many unexplored opportunities to combine these techniques with feltmaking.  At the very least, the Felt Fashion book could bridge two disciplines: sewing for feltmakers and feltmaking for sewers.  To this end, I took a wide range of feltmaking skills (basic to advanced) and sewing/patternmaking skills and blended them together to make 24 different projects, each designed to teach specific skills.  I also added techniques and tools for making jewelry and hat-making so that readers could experience those traditions as well. My hope is that readers would have a comprehensive set of feltmaking and sewing skills once they had tried all the projects and that they could then combine these skills to make personalized pieces.

 

Often, in books or in classes, it seems to me as though one must choose a technical approach or a creative one.  I tried to balance the 2, as I really appreciate technical know-how and skill-building but also enjoy a book when it inspires or encourages my creativity.  Further, I wanted to appeal to both a craft-aesthetic of exuberant self-expression and to a fashion-aesthetic that can be more about subtlety, materials, details, and finishing.  I hope that readers will feel it addresses both.

 

I believe that good learners make good teachers and I learned very much about feltmaking by writing Felt Fashion.

All on the Line

I have a new favorite-of-all-time tv show!  Just when I think we’ve run out of shows to watch on Netflix Streaming (and foo on Dish network for dropping good channels), there are gems like this.  If you enjoy fashion, you will love this series following Joe Zee, creative director of ELLE magazine, as he helps designers put together capsule collections to show to prime-time buyers.  I love the love that is in this show: the nitty-gritty, nuts-and-bolts, down to brass tacks look at the business of fashion and the magical passion for design, fashion, and art that drives everyone involved.  It’s the real deal!

As far as I’m concerned, reality tv can keep these good fashion-specific shows coming…more please!

about the show:

Joe Zee – Creative Director for ELLE – is not only one step ahead of the trends…he defines them. Now, Joe is using his style smarts and eye for detail to guide struggling fashion designers back on the road to success. With insider savvy, a positive spirit, and a double dose of tough love, Joe inspires these struggling designers to rekindle their creative fire before their line goes down in flames.

In Joe’s own words: “I’m at a point in my career where I want to use my experience to help struggling designers make their dreams come true. Each week, I will hand pick one talented designer who has hit a roadblock on the way to success…and I will use all of my resources and power to help them turn their business around…It’s all on the line.”

to learn more visit http://www.sundancechannel.com/all-on-the-line/

About “Harlequin”

Paul Cezanne

I was inspired to name my business Harlequin Feltworks by the personal & symbolic importance of the “harlequin,” a classic figure in Italian theater.

As a young child growing up in the Veneto region of Italy (my father was a doctor at the military base in Vicenza & my mother became part of the local community), I vividly remember certain moments of the annual Carnival festival in February.  One particular memory was of the Arlecchino throwing candy from the rooftops.  To a small child, this was literally candy raining down from heaven.  Abundance, sweetness, joy….mythical costumed characters coming to life and sharing their gifts.

Costuming became an important form of artistic expression in my life.  There were many opportunities for costuming growing up with a birthday so close to Halloween (tragically, I was induced early and missed being born on the holiday) and costuming even became a genre of art that I took very seriously for a couple concentrated years.  During this time, the elegant clown character became something I would return to over & over again.  Fortunately, it had special resonance in the Bay Area which has a strong tradition of Commedia dell’Arte & circus.  During this period of intense costuming in my early to mid-twenties, I would piece together costumes from found materials in an ad-hoc & spontaneous combination (most costumes were completed in under 24 hours), always aiming to be elegant, fanciful, and over-the-top; a momentary manifestation and statement designed to dazzle and amuse.

When I began to make wearable art from felted wool and other materials, I wanted to retain this sense of playfulness, spontaneity, and a subtle element of spectacle/theater.  The Harlequin became a great mascot for the business: agile in making new designs and pieces (but also kind of mentally slow, as some skills took longer to develop); a sort of greedy & vain character (business can be a bit greedy & vain-at least those are aspects that one wrestles with: profit & presence); a romantic figure who personifies love and enchantment.  Colorful & illusionistic, he is a character as well as the concept of  animation through color (near & dear to my heart).  His mask is anonymity or a new/auxiliary identity, something you become as a business entity.

The harlequin brought to mind notions of old-world traditions & craft, which related strongly to the craft of feltmaking.  Coincidentally, the harlequin also had great currency in high fashion, inspiring such designers as Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen, and Miuccia Prada.  No matter when or where, the harlequin has a delightful, charming innocence juxtaposed with a certain sexual mystique.

Since the beginning of Harlequin Feltworks in 2007, the years have been full of nimble acrobatics in the fields of design, fashion, art & business.  These 5 years have seen a lot of evolution & change, yet the harlequin continues to be a source of inspiration, keeping me company and sharing his gifts.

Harlequin or Arlecchino in Italian, Arlequin in French and Arlequín in Spanish is the most popularly known of the zanni or comic servant characters from the Italian Commedia dell’arte and its descendant, the Harlequinade. The Harlequin is also known to be a type of clown. 

The Harlequin character may have been based on or influenced by the Zanni archetype who, although a slow thinker, was acrobatic and nimble.[5] Interpreted thus, Harlequin’s distinctive motley costume may be a stylized variant of Zanni’s plain white garb, designed to reflect the ad-hoc patching necessary to prevent the garment’s degradation

The primary aspect of Arlecchino was his physical agility.[1][5] While generally depicted as stupid and gluttonous, he was very nimble and performed the sort of acrobatics the audience expected to see. The character would never perform a simple action when the addition of a cartwheel, somersault, or flip would spice up the movement.

He is typically cast as the servant of an innamorato or vecchio much to the detriment of the plans of his master. Arlecchino often had a love interest in the person of Colombina, or in older plays any of the Soubrette roles, and his lust for her was only superseded by his desire for food and fear of his master.

He eventually became something more of a romantic hero around the 18th century, when his popularity provoked the Harlequinade.

Source: Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlequin

New FilzFun…coming soon!

I am on pins and needles waiting for the release of the next FilzFun magazine out of Germany.   Harlequin Feltworks will be in there!

This is a stellar magazine with an un-paralled passion for felting in all of its forms.  Family-run, the team behind this publication has an immense dedication to serving the latest trends in feltmaking from across the world and it has been a real joy to work with them preparing the article.

It was tough to keep things “under wraps” for these past few months, but it was worth it: the article serves up some fresh ideas, both visually and in the insightful interview.

You can order a copy, or subscribe, at their website: FilzFun

SDA Article following up on ACC Show, Baltimore

The Surface Design Association invited 4 artists to show at the American Craft Council Show Baltimore.  We were one of them.  Here is an article with collected insights from the artists at the show.

ABCs of an ACC Show: 4 SDA Exhibitors Give Insider Tips

by Candace Edgerly

In their quest to attract new talent, the American Craft Council gave several art/craft-focused organizations the opportunity to invite 10 of their members to bypass ACC’s jury process. 4 out of the 10 SDA invited took us up on the offer by participating in the 2012 Baltimore ACC Show in February.

With over 650 juried artists, the Baltimore show is a bit overwhelming. For the visitor, there is no shortage of interesting and inspiring new work. For the exhibitor, however, there are some challenges involved in putting yourself out there. Jiyoung Chung, Tamara Embrey, Jenne Giles and Deborah Kruger shared some insights into their experience of working this venue below.

Read the full article here

Animal Fibers at ISS featured in SIGNED magazine

A little harlequin, a little feltworks

HARLEQUIN FELTWORKS

Model: Amber

Flower Head Piece: Harlequin Feltworks

Makeup & Hair: Kenya Aissa for Ruby Envy

Photo: Moja Ma’at

Why I think the term “hybrid” is confusing and hurts more than it helps.

I was disappointed to find out that a piece of mine had been described as “wet and hybrid felted” at a recent show.  It upset me and not just because the show labeled my work without asking me, but because I believe the whole recent trend to use the word “hybrid” in felting is misguided, and here I was swept up into its silliness.

…

“Hybrid” is being used to replace the term “nuno.”   “Nuno” was a term coined in the 1994 by pioneering felt artist Polly Stirling, who developed this technique with her assistant, Sachiko Kotaka, and named it after the japanese word for fabric: “nuno.”   “Nuno” describes a genre of felt where wool is felted through a woven material.  Wool becomes enmeshed in the open weave of appropriate fabrics and, as the wool shrinks and gathers the fabric, it can produce lovely effects which look naturally “ruched” or organically textured.  Wool alone can (though it does not always) produce naturally bulky fabrics, but felting through more flexible fabrics allowed for a making a lighter felt piece.  The combination offers the best of both worlds: the characteristic look and transformative process of felting natural to the wool and the lovely drape & look natural to the fabric.  Therefore, felting through fabric is very useful for fashion applications and is used with great enthusiasm by a majority of feltmakers the world over.  By using the term “nuno,” we refer to this combination of felted wool and fabrics and we pay homage to the feltmakers who originally developed these techniques.  So, not only does “nuno” have this history,  but it is also an established, useful, and practical term with market-appeal: many people associate “nuno” with the art of  light-weight felts; and making light-weight felts (for wearable art or interior projects) is the most prevalent use of the “laminated,” “enmeshed,” or “hybrid” medium.

…

If  “nuno” is such a useful term, if it fits the history and is true to the technique, and if it ain’t broke, why fix it?  I don’t know….but it hasn’t stopped people from trying.  Over time, there have been other terms for “nuno” which try to be more descriptive, such as “laminate” felt, “enmeshed” felt and the recently-coined term “hybrid.”  ”Laminate,”  has its definite drawbacks as it is more likely to make a person think of Home Depot flooring made from wood and un-pronouncable, possibly toxic additives, adhesives, and glues rather than of the beautiful pieces of organically-produced fabric it is trying to describe.  ”Laminate” does do a good job, though, of coming close to describing the actual process of felting through fabric: a layering of wool fibers and fabrics and the subsequent felting to enmesh the fibers through the fabric.  Like “laminate,” “enmeshed” gives us some inkling of what is going on as it tried to be descriptive;  though I might argue that “enmeshed” might bring to mind a difficult situation rather than a beautiful felting technique (like being “enmeshed” in a controversy about the term “hybrid.”).  ”Hybrid” is the most recent contender on the field.  As many terms that have come before it, “hybrid” also tries to describe the felted offspring of wool and fabric.***

…

The word “hybrid” sounds somewhat futuristic; it is a term used in abundance in advertising to sell us new cars (Prius “Hybrids” which we have all sat behind in traffic); and it is a term used in many biological fields, like horticulture to describe a process of crossbreeding to form such marvels of nature as the “lymon” (lemon plus lime, a favorite marketing nugget of the 7-up crowd).   So “hybrid” also comes with its fair share of baggage, connotation, and context.  From what I gather, “hybrid” is being used as a catch-all for felting through something else, whether it be silk or fabric (which “nuno” is specific to), mesh or wire or you-name-it.  So “hybrid” is an extended definition that means to not only encapsulate the well-established field of nuno (which I would argue is the lion’s-share of where this technique is being used) but to the ends of embracing the seldom-used materials of wire-mesh, lathe, open-spots in fencing, etc. etc.

…

First off, I would wonder at the need for a new terminology:  though felting through diverse materials is natural to the art-making process, there is hardly a vibrant field of “felt mesh”  or “hybrid felt” artists as there are “nuno felters” or just plain “feltmakers” (felters, etc).  Wool does not transform these materials as it does lighter-weight fabrics and other fibers.  Wool is not strong enough to produce the beautiful “ruching” in metal mesh that it does with a light silk fabric.  At best, it is wool that is felted around a structure where the two elements can easily be separated again.  Is something “hybrid” if it can be separated?   Given that wool and wire mesh can be easily separated back into the individual components, so too can wool and fabrics be separated.  So we are not really talking about the “hybrid” nature of the piece just as you can not separate the lion from the tiger in a “Liger.”

…

Since wool does not have the strength to transform wire-mesh, lathe, etc., and is simply felted around it,  in a contest between materials like these and felted wool, the stronger materials win.  So the notion that the piece has become “hybridized” is misplaced, because the piece has not become anything new insofar as fish caught in a tangled net does not become a “hyrbidized net fish.”  I would offer that the term “felt collage” or “felt assemblage” might be better suited to describing this use of enmeshed wool in addition to having far more relevance to the intersecting worlds of felt and fine art.  As an art historian, I can vouch for the fact that there is a well-established history of collage and assemblage that felt artists would be wise to appeal to.

…

Essentially, I feel that the recent push to use a trendy term like “hybrid” is inspired by the desire on the part of certain felt artists to elevate felt to the next level of art, so in a sense, it is a “re-branding” of the medium.  I disagree that the medium needs “re-branding” and think that this adds to the general confusion already out there about what “felt” refers to.  As a felt artist myself, I have been on the frontlines of explaining the many different types of felt to a bewildered public: what is wet-felt, nuno felt, needle-felt, boiled wool, fulled wool, pressed wool, craft felt, designer felt, industrial felt.  Why is nuno felt different from the felt used to cover pool tables? Did I knit it and then felt it down?  These are all questions that professional feltmakers have had to explain one-too-many-times.  In recent years, I have noticed a change in the public’s understanding of felting:  more people know that boiled wool refers to wool that has been knitted and then felted,  more people have an inkling of the clay-like process of wet-felting, and more people know that there is a big difference between the acrylic felt that they find at the craft store, produced by industrial means of big steam and heat machines, and the high-quality, hand-crafted material that felt artists are producing.   More and more people will look at the work and say “this is nuno, right?” with the confidence of being in-the-know.   Now, when so many feltmakers have fought to hard fight for public education and these efforts are finally making a dent, why would it be helpful to throw new terminology out there like “hybrid?”   It’s not.  In fact, the other day, I heard an artist new to the medium struggle with whether to call her work “nuno” or “hybrid.”  Such confusion not only debases years of public education and the strong history of this type of felt collage, but it attacks an artist’s very ability to describe his/her own work with confidence.

…

Since there is a great deal of confusion in the world  when it comes to “felt” and all the different media that that term encompasses (Wet-felt, boiled wool, fulled wool, designer felt, craft felt, needle felt, industrial/pressed felt, and general non-wovens).  Using the new term “hybrid,” in my opinion, adds to this confusion more than it helps.  Though we might search for a term to group all of these varieties together into a more manageable package, perhaps it would be of more service to recognize the variety of ways that artist use felting techniques to achieve their finished results, as there are, in fact, a variety of different and distinct ways to do it.  ”Felt” in and of itself, is a “hybrid” term encompassing many disciplines, so “hybrid felt” is not only reductive (trying to recombine different techniques into a one-size-fits-all term), but it is redundant.

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Where does one begin with the word “hybrid” in feltmaking?  The wool breeds could be said to by “hybrids” (for example, “Cormo” sheep are a hybrid breed of Merino and Corriedale breeds).  My roving is a blend of wool and other fibers, such as Merino carded with raw silk fibers or angora fibers from goats, are these also “hybrids?”  Many fabrics are “hybrids” as they blend cotton & silk or wool & rayon, etc.  Are these fabrics naturally hybrids?  At what point does “hybrid” accurately describe the results and magic of felting?   At what point is it limited to “wool felted through other materials” in a way that other words, like “collage” or “assemblage” would not be far better suited to?

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In conclusion, I believe that the recent adoption of the term “hybrid” is an attempt to “re-brand” the technique for the purpose of very few artists.  I do not feel that it accurately describes the process and it does not respect the history of this technique.  I am not comfortable with my work being described as “hybrid” felt, as I resoundly reject this recent terminology as both personally distasteful and for the disservice it does by contradicting the history of feltmaking and adding more ambiguous terminology to an already confusing field which only harms the overall artform.   As an art historian, I feel strongly that it is our duty to respect the history of the medium and that there is great power & responsibility in how we use these terms to convey the nature of the making of the felt piece.   I feel that consensus regarding felting terminology allows the medium to grow, rather than to be written and re-written with new terms.  As I am often involved in felt education, having a consistent terminology is important if we are to hope for non-felters to understand and appreciate the medium, its many varieties and each felting techniques’ unique challenges.

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****Allow me to point out, though, how it is being used to describe my piece: “Wet and Hybrid Felted.” In this case, it is being used to describe the process itself and not just the result.  Therefore, in addition to going through a process of “wet felting” (specific to using hot water and soap to mesh together wool fibers to form a felted material), my piece went through the nebulous process of “hybrid felting.”   This makes even less sense than the notion that it is a finished piece of “hybrid felt.”  Did I make my felt using “hybridizing” techniques?  Though this sounds very grand, it is inappropriate and ill-suited to the simple truth that I used fabric in my work, for which the established term “nuno” happily suffices.

The Joy of Collecting: My New Cockroach Mug

Ceramic Cockroach Coffee Mug by Catherine Reece

Visit Catherine’s Etsy Store, Village Clayworks

Traveling for Thanksgiving gave me some time to catch up on my reading.  There’s nothing quite like flying or commuting in general to make some headway in a book.

So it was with great pleasure that I jumped into The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin.  It is filled with many gems of wisdom which seem especially poignant over the holidays.  One of the recommendations that jumped out at me was her suggestion to start a collection.  The author had started to collect bluebirds inspired by the legend of the “bluebirds of happiness.”   Her hunt for new bluebirds and the cultivation of her “flock” had been the occasion of many happy experiences and new adventures.  It made me think: do I collect anything?  So many of the past years have been about streamlining and reducing the unnecessary objects that I had unintentionally collected over time.  Then I remembered that, indeed, I do collect something…I collect mugs.

I’ll admit that it’s rather mundane as a far as a bona fide collection goes.  I mean, I can think of many more exciting collections (modern art, jewels, exotic memorabilia, racing cars….even stamps or garden gnomes sound a little more adventurous), but I get a great sense of satisfaction adding to my utilitarian mug collection.  After all, many mugs come and go as one loses a handle here or eventually breaks there (the retirement of a good mug is always an emotional moment), so there is a very practical need to resupply and add new members to my motley crew of cups.

When I am traveling, I try to pick up the silliest mug I can find.  I have one from the Hearst Castle (the biggest and most sprawlingly opulent that they had, of course), a pearlescent hummingbird from Galveston Island, even a mug from the Undertaker’s University at the National Museum of Funeral History in Houston (a great museum if you get a chance to go).  I will never forget collecting my first mug from the Montrose Arts Fair in Houston.  It had a dragon’s face: the eyes and nose set in a round, red clay bowl indented with scales, with the dragon’s tail forming the handle and fired with a beautifully sparkley raku.  Every drink served in this cup instantly became a magic potion!  Now that I am reflecting on my current collection, it certainly seems that it could use some love….but as shabby as it is, it still gives me a unique pleasure.

Recently at a show we did up in Petaluma, I picked up a new star to my collection: a Cockroach Mug by ceramic artist Catherine Reece (pictured above).  Drinking from it is far sweeter than any sugar I could add to the hot coffee inside.  I have always been drawn to ceramics and, after years of doing craft shows, I know the extra effort that it takes for clay & ceramic artists to bring their work to a show: the crating, hauling, and careful packaging it takes…and that is just the logistics of bringing the work there.  Imagine the hand-sculpting or throwing, the firing, the glazing and the detailing that goes into each one!  One thing is for sure: there’s a lot of love invested in each hand-made piece.  It makes me appreciate the relative ease that it takes to bring felt to a show: though I may worry about ironing and creasing, I don’t need to worry about things getting broken.

So, as the first step in my own Happiness Project, I have now made it my resolution to never let an opportunity pass to add a new handmade mug to my collection, especially when doing craft shows.  Not only does the act of collecting give me great joy, but it is a thank you to the love and effort that clay artists have for their craft.   Everytime I use one of my special mugs, it makes the experience so much sweeter, imbuing happy memories to simple moments.

Felt is hot “on the wire!”

Last week, I spoke to Associated Press journalist Jennifer Forker for an upcoming article on feltmaking.  The article just came out today and is popping up across the country in local newspapers.  How exciting!  It is a lovely article and really revs my engines!!

Here is the article at ABC News

Felting Transforms Raw Material Into Work of Art

By JENNIFER FORKER For The Associated Press

November 2, 2011 (AP)

 

Seven years ago, Jenne Giles was a San Francisco painter and sculptor who didn’t know felting existed. Now she works almost exclusively in the medium, stretching the possibilities of felt in fashion.

There’s a soft-sculpture aspect to wet felting that is attractive to Giles, who sells her ruffled scarves in museum gift shops and online at the Artful Home. It’s tactile and hands-on, like working in clay, she says.

“It incorporates all the things that I love,” says Giles, author of “Felt Fashion: Couture Projects from Garments to Accessories” (Quarry Books, 2010).

“It’s an ancient medium,” she adds. “It’s right there at the dawn of mankind, after making clothing from leather and sinew.”

Read the full article at this link!

AP

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