Tomorrow is the opening of the MFA show at Indiana University. I will be displaying my recent piece Moment, finished in November 2011. It is an exploration of the limits and possibilities of dyeing and felting. I used natural dyes to create basic tones of gray on wool roving which I then blocked out into areas to create a portrait before felting it into a piece. To the textiles orientated, this process in itself is a bit of a geek-fest. Felting has many inherit difficulties (such as shrinkage) which make it difficult to have enough control over the work to create an image.
Moment presents a memory, soft and gentle. It is a moment of enlightened euphoria, affected by the haze of memory but with a physicality of surface firm enough to grasp onto. The choice of process reflects the necessary patience and resolve required to hold onto memories and maintain convictions. Distortion is unavoidable in both felting by hand and in the process of remembering moments. The resulting softness of the felt makes it desirable and conveys my own sense of longing for things past. (closeup)
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