"There is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats." From Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows.I had the rare opportunity to spend a day sailing with friends. The weather was perfect - sun and 75 degrees, with just enough wind to fill the sails and keep us moving along at a leisurely 5 knot pace. We had no destinations and no time schedules to keep. It was a glorious day of "simply messing about in boats." We lunched on cold cuts, cheese, and crunchy baguettes of french bread washed down with generous amounts of Chateau St. Michelle wine. We found a quiet cove and dropped the hook for an afternoon nap on the foredeck and cabin roof. We looked like a family of harbor seals laying basking in the warm sun. Crab pots set out early in the day yielded half a dozen Dungeness crab that we cooked in sea water with a bit of onion and garlic for our dinner. We cracked it while still warm, sucking the meat right out of the shell, with the juices running all the way to our elbows. It was one of those days you hate to see come to an end. As the sun dipped down behind Fidalgo Island, we reluctantly headed in. I was blown away by the glory of the bright orange sunset and the "welcome home" feeling of the shimmering lights of town as we neared the island.
I think I captured the beauty of that scene in this needle felt seascape I call "Heading In." The size is 13x17" (20x25" matted and framed) and is the largest piece I've created thus far. It (like most of my current body of work) was created with the machine embellisher, unspun wool roving, and metallic hand embroidery. The lights of town were achieved with a glittering novelty yarn and golden glass beads, which catch the light and actually twinkle. It brings the whole painting to life.
This piece is available for purchase. Contact me for a price quote.
Your felted landscapes are fantastic! You capture the effect of the light and sun really well. I love the beads too. They certainly do add a twinkle to the scene.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sophie. I appreciate the compliment, especially from someone whose artistic talent I admire.
ReplyDeleteThis work is equally beautiful with your latest landscape. Can you also achieve this level of work doing the felting by hand? I have a Clover felt tool. I'm ready to go. Just need a "how to...". I get the felting part. But how do you put it all together and on what backing? Any words of wisdom?
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Cindy Richard
CindyRQuilts
www.cindyrquilts.com
cindyrquilts@gmail.com
The background for all of my fiber art is wool felt, generally in a color that brightens or darkens the colors of the wool roving I'm putting on it. Heading In used a light gray felt because I wanted the wispy clouds to have some light and vibrancy.
ReplyDeleteWhile it's certainly possible to accomplish similar "paintings" by hand, it can take an enormous amount of time and a good deal of wear and tear on your hands - particularly with larger format works. It also depends on your artistic patience. I know plenty of artists that spend months working on a painting. Others (like me) work quickly. Our style is looser, sometimes to the point of abstraction. I get an idea and I want to get it on the canvas (or the felt) and move on to the next idea as soon a possible. So many ideas...so little time. LOL