Felt Happy
A new book just released this month shows just how colourful and funky felt can be. Colour and texture abound in this stunning work by Elizabeth Armstrong.
Felt Happy contains loads of useful information as well as full page images so you can see the finer details.
by Mindy Cook
Elizabeth is a full time felter and mixed media artist. She has taught throughout Australia as well as in the UK, USA and in South Korea where she staged a solo exhibition of her work in Seoul. Working as an Artist in Residence for the last twelve years, she has taught at both primary and secondary levels and loves the challenge of creating large scale pieces. Elizabeth also hold small classes and workshops in her studio, where the kettle is always on and making a mess is highly encouraged!
We asked Elizabeth about her felting work:
“I started felting by getting a book out of the library about 18 years ago. It was fairly uninspiring with only black and white images displayed.
This was before the internet and I had to write to woollen mills for carded wool in order to get my supplies. I never seemed able to find bright gorgeous colours to work with. At a market one day I saw some felt slippers and discovered that the lady had dyed her own colours. And so it began!”
“My studio time is divided fairly equally between laying out a new project, felting a different piece and completing another by adding stitching or decorative elements – by hand and/or machine.”
“I move from piece to piece so that my interest level remains high and I give myself time to consider each step. Whilst working on one I plan something else on another. The rest of my creative time is spent sketching and painting.”
“I find the most joy in simply playing with colour – according to Mum I have never been any different!”
Read more on Elizabeth at her blog.