Saturday, December 16, 2017

Felted Works of the 1980s
Art Review

Marie-Therese Wisniowski

Introduction
The history of felted garments has already been covered on this blogspot - see Felted Garments. Nevertheless a brief description of felt will be informative for this post.

Felt is a mat or web of wool or part wool fibers held together by the interlocking of scales of the wool fibers. In the modern production of felt, layers of fiber webs are built up until the desired thickness is attained and then heat, soap and vibration are used to mat the fibers together and to shrink or "full" the cloth. Finishing processes for felt resemble those for woven fabrics. Because felt does not fray or ravel, it needs no seam finish. It has no grain. Felt may be made from fur, cotton, rayon or other man-made fibers mixed with wool as well as all wool.


Felted Artworks of the 1980s
Below are featured some felted works of the 1980s.

Artist: Rebecca Ross; Title: Pansies.
Technique and Materials: Felted wool.
Size: 63 x 49 inches.
Photograph: Courtesy of Carol Hassen Fisher.

Artist: Marleah Drexler MacDougal; Title: Rose Langoon 1.
Technique and Materials: Felt making, hand sewing, wool, thread, fibreglass screening, wood.
Size: 32 x 47 x 1.25 inches.

Artist: Alison Doherty; Title: Felted Drawing 18.
Technique and Materials: Felt, paint, rhoplex, wood, cheesecloth.
Size: 52 x 34 inches.
Photograph: Courtesy of Carol Hassen Fisher.

Artist: Dianne Shierry Meier; Title: Proto-Byblic Tablet I.
Technique and Materials: Felting, hand stitching; flax, cotton and metallic thread.
Size: 8.5 x 12 inches.
Photograph: Courtesy of Carol Hassen Fisher.

Artist: Amy Grant-Nielsen; Title: Felt Fragments.
Technique and Materials: Felting, natural and indigo dyeing,; wool, cotton, silk, and flax.
Size: 90 x 120 inches.
Photograph: Courtesy of Reklame fotograferne.

Artist: Maria J. Stachowska; Title: Wallhanging.
Technique and Materials: Handmade felt; wool, silk, cotton and nylon.
Size: 163 x 100 x 20 inches.
Photograph: Courtesy of Edward B. Brandon.

Artist: Antoinette Roy; Title: Imbrication.
Technique and Materials: Felted mohair, moulded plaster with dry and oil pastel.
Size: 41.5 x 21 x 27 inches.
Photograph: Courtesy of Yves Tessier.

Artist: Mary Towner; Title: Lickety Split.
Technique and Materials: Dyed and felted wool fleece and yarn.
Size: 85 x 39 x 1 inches.
Photograph: Courtesy of Carol Hassen Fisher.

Artist: Sharon Parker; Title: Nights of Slow Dancing.
Technique and Materials: Felted wool and miscellaneous yarns.
Size: 41 x 48 x 1 inches.


Reference:
[1] Ed. K. Mathews, FiberArts Design Book Three, Lark Books, Asheville (1987).

No comments: