One week done but there are still 3 weeks to get to the Phoenix Park to to see our wonderful work in the flesh. All the exhibits look amazing against the rough stone walls of the Visitor’s Centre’s gallery space. Deirdre Crofts and her team did a fantastic job, meticulously spacing and hanging each piece, creating a top class exhibition. She’s probably still dreaming about measurements!
Here is the slideshow put together by Ramona Farrelly of everyone’s pieces. You might just fancy another wee look on a Monday morning.
In its 35th year, Sculpture in Context is held in the oasis of calm and peace that is the Botanical Gardens, Glasnevin, Dublin. Run by the OPW every year and according to them is the ‘longest-running, largest and most important sculpture exhibition in the country, this pivotal event in the Irish arts calendar attracts a large public and critical audience and is the cultural highlight of the National Botanic Gardens calendar’.
If you fancy a relaxing walk in this beautiful space with wonderful and inspiring art of over 140 artists around every corner, then this would be the place to visit and explore. The exhibition runs until the 15th of October so there is still time to see it in situ and it is free of charge to visit. A total of 164 pieces are being shown at the exhibition both outdoors and indoors. This year again there are several Feltmakers Ireland members taking part at. Annika Berglund, Fiona Leech and Ramona Farrelly all have pieces at the show. Most of the pieces are being shown outdoors but both Annika and Fiona have also have pieces in the gallery space. Fiona’s piece is a triptych made from sustainable merino wool fibre and is shaped into three different size pods. Her process involved wet felting the pods themselves and then needle felting the bright yellow spots and tendrils on once the pods had been shaped and dried. These additions to the pods are a nod to nature’s strength to find its way and take over. Fiona used colours and blends of wool to reflect the natural environment. Her beautiful piece can be seen at the gallery which can be booked here:
Annika has two separate pieces, a wall panel piece indoors at the gallery (fig.2) and another piece made of multiple-coloured butterflies hanging in one of the rhododendron trees along the outdoor sculpture route
Annika’s second piece consists of a set of nine butterflies, three of which have already sold through the exhibition. The butterflies are wet felted over a metal armature and have been waterproofed for outdoor hanging with stiffener material. They are of varying colours and would brighten up anyone’s outdoor space as can be seen from this picture.
Butterflies – Felt over metal armature – Annika Berglund
Ramona’s piece is also located outdoors. Her piece Akashic hangs in amongst the ferns and sculptures in the Mill Field area by the river. It is a small structure composed of 11 felted wool tablets which have been stiffened with waterproofing medium and painted with various coloured pigments. The whole piece was then strung together with rope constructed of tree bark.
felted wool stiffened and coloured – Ramona Farrelly
There is lots of interest for any visitor to this exhibition and it may require several visits to see all the work in detail, but even if only some of it is seen, it is a wonderful way to spend some time in the lap of nature whilst also experiencing the creative juices of the artists taking part.
Some of the other works that can be seen at the show include the following:
Hybrid – Ceramic and Metal – Michelle MaherOf Woman Born – Ceramic – Jen DonneryThere is Life in this Autumn Breeze – Stone, Mirror – Sunny WielerShape Shifting Dynamic – Ceramic and Mirror – Agata LipianinClose Whisper – Irish Larch – Sara Cunningham-BellDelinquescence I – Acrylic Resin and Mixed Media – Ayelet Lalor12 Harvest – Weathering steel – Kevin PierceThe Souls of the Trees, Ebony and Oak – Ceramic on Wood Base – Merce Canadell
Last weekend we had the pleasure to restart the Feltmakers Ireland workshops with one of our most inspiring artists Astrid Tomrop-Hofmann from https://bombyxmoriwearableart.com
We made wishing bowls using a unique technique of laying and felting fibres.
It seemed like a historical moment- getting back together after long two years and pandemic challenges meant that everyone took a leap of fate.
Astrid burst into action full of colour and energy and was very attentive to everyone’s needs and ideas.
We started by making a very textured prefelt – it was a platter of found and saved textiles and fibres. This was going to be used to decorate our bowls, but there was plenty left from it for the future.
Then using the precision of a true perfectionist Astrid divided the wool into 20g and 10 g and laid it out to look like a colourful meringue with fibres laid as beams coming from the centre of the bowl. Then we put a thin layer of 10g going sideways. After we have done that we put the embellishments in whatever shape we wanted them to be and started felting and fulling.
Astrid, as the participants noticed, was very much hands on tutor and loved nothing more but to help out, demonstrate and show us how she does it.
In the intermission most of us let loose at the artisan food market and enjoyed the yummy food in the beautiful relaxed grounds of the Marlay Park.
The wonderful surprise came from Helene Dooley who knew that Astrid has birthday in a few days so she made her a delicious birthday cake. Astrid was in tears (and so was I).
It was lovely to see two new members joining us as a result of workshops.
The best part is always the smiles of the participants. This time I made sure that I heard from each participants in a quick chat after the workshop- great day, well organized, inspiring teacher were some of the comments. Astrid was delighted with the group and was very enthusiastic about their talent and dedication. Probably, most memorable to me would be the comment that we need more people like Astrid in our life. You see- I couldn’t agree more.
I joined Feltmakers Ireland 10 years ago as I found that our community nurtures talent and fosters wonderful connections. This year I found myself in a position to be able to serve this community. It is a great privilege and a testament to you all that I was able to give back to you
.
You know, sometimes your aspirations become reality. Just roll up your sleeves.
What was my wishing bowl about?
My wishing bowl was for good times with great people.
Element15 is a collective of 15 textile and mixed media artists. They have used the past year despite all the restrictions of Covid to allow nature to inspire them. They were fortunate to be welcomed into the wonderful gardens of Jimi Blake at Hunting Brook and June Blake’s Garden, to respond to the gardens over the seasons.
The culmination of their work is being shown in an open-air exhibition across the two public gardens. The artworks are integrated into the lush landscaping in the form of an art trail.
Opening Times: Hunting Brook: Weds – Saturday 11 am – 4 pm, entrance fee €8 June Blake’s Garden: Weds – Sunday 11 am – 5 pm, entrance fee €6
On Wednesday last I decided to go and view the art nature combination. It was amazing: the planting display showed off the art to wonderful advantage. A weather proofed catalogue was available on both sites with a map to guide you along the paths, as well as through meadow and woodland, to view each of the art works. Naturally it also included a short artist statement and a description of the work. A great visit for the combo plant/art enthusiast.
The deadline is approaching- 20th of August. We have many exciting entries already, but want to encourage as many of our members as possible to participate!
Remember: 1) There is no fee for submitting your piece.
2) This is a “members exhibition” with no adjudication or judging, we would like to show the range, breadth and depth of our talent as an organisation, with the primary purpose of promoting the craft of felt- be you a beginner or a professional.
3) Please read the application form carefully- for details of requirements, size, photograph etc…
SIZE REQUIREMENTS 30CM X30CM… THIS IS IMPORTANT FOR DIGITAL EXHIBITION AND THE IDEA IS TO HAVE A GIANT GRID OF ALL OUR MEMBERS WORK IN A PHYSICAL SPACE TOO!
4) Let the title “Colour our World” inspire you, don’t be afraid to push the boundaries, show your skills, experiment… 1 piece from each member is guaranteed accepted…
5) Feel free to contact the committee for any assistance, advice, question or help.
For those who do not have any Finn wool white, Mountain sheep or Tiroler Bergschaf wool listed in the materials list, Astrid will have Bergschaf wool available for sale at a nominal price.
This will be a great opportunity to reconnect with fellow feltmakers and a lovely day out!
Our Astrid was born in Germany, but lives and created in Ireland since 1979. She is a true pioneer at heart. We are all familiar that she was one of the first people to start the feltmaking movement in Ireland. Beyond that she has also been living off grid for decades- long before it was mainstream movement.
Since her childhood Astrid was surrounded by creativity, fashion and art. Her mother was a textile designer and her grandparents owned a beautiful garden, which inspired Astrid greatly. She was trained as a professional make-up artist at Film Studio Hamburg and Thalia Theater, and has been involved in art all her life. In 1986 Astrid started painting on silk and eventually committed to textiles as career. The rest is part of Feltmakers Ireland’s history. Astrid works with some of the most beautiful galleries in Ireland, exports internationally and exhibits in curated shows. The secret to it all? Talent and kindness.
We would like to invite all members to take part in our exhibition for 2021.
The title is ” Colour our World”. This is a members exhibition, we ideally would like to show one piece from each member ( you can submit up to 3 pieces, if you like, with the guaranteed of acceptance of one piece and up to three).
This year, everything is different… and we are getting used to the idea of flexing, pivoting, changing and moving with everything that life throws at us.
The deadline is approaching- end of July- please submit a piece… we have over 70 members and would love ech and every one of you to take this opportunity to be part of a members exhibition- celebrate your craft… perhaps you haven’t had your work shown in an exhibition before? this is a great opportunity for exposure.
1) There is no fee for submitting your piece… the member is responsible for getting the piece to any venue- should we be able to secure a physical space.
2) This is a “members exhibition” with no adjudication or judging, we would like to show the range, breadth and depth of our talent as an organisation, with the primary purpose of promoting the craft of felt- be you a beginner or a professional.
3) This exhibition is primarily online- with a proposed date of showing in August 2021 as part of the DCCI 50th anniversary celebrations. COVID restrictions allowing and in conjunction with other organisations such as DCCI or other GANS groups we will strive to find a physical space to show all the members pieces together- in autumn of 21 or New year 22 as the situation allows.
4) Please read the application form carefully- for details of requirements, size, photograph etc…
SIZE REQUIREMENTS 30CM X30CM… THIS IS IMPORTANT FOR DIGITAL EXHIBITION AND THE IDEA IS TO HAVE A GIANT GRID OF ALL OUR MEMBERS WORK IN A PHYSICAL SPACE TOO!
5) Let the title “Colour our World” inspire you, don’t be afraid to push the boundaries, show your skills, experiment… 1 piece from each member is guaranteed accepted…
6) Feel free to contact the committee for any assistance, advice, question or help.
Have fun and we look forward to seeing what everyone comes up with!
Together this could be a wonderful collective art project of feltmakers responding to their world in the most unusual of times.
To all our members and followers… please share this message, support independent makers, artists and your craft community. If you are a member participating in the dcci made local campaign, contact us on hello@feltmakersireland.com
and send us images of your work by DM. We will endeavor to share and post to support you and your enterprise! Good luck all feltmakers who are working hard to promote the craft of feltmaking.
Back in feb my phone rang and it was a call from a fellow Felrmaker, who I have always enjoyed working with in CRAFTed over the years but we never actually worked together. She told me she had received funding as part of the Keep Well campaing and wanted to get a group of like minded felters together for a collaborative project .
I was feeling the post Christmas lockdown and told her that I felt I was creatively stuck in a rut And would be delighted to get on board and do a collaborative project .
Nikki put our dream team together. The idea was that we would each present an hour long workshop working on different stages of the felting process to create stained glass effect felt pieces which would be exhibited later in the year . Niki went about advertising the free workshops and they were oversubscribed in a day leading to further workshops.
Fox by Breda Fay
Caolfhionn got the tough job of hosting the first workshop which shows how to create prefelts and blending colours to create your fabric for your picture .Niki did the design layout for our work and I got the job to do the stained glass effect dry felting work.
Each class had 35 participants and we did three classes each to facilitate the large numbers in our groups . We also supported each other during the workshops which was fantastic and made it a lot easier .
I was delighted to find that Breda Fay who was a long time student of mine when I did workshops in Johnstown Craftspun yarns is now the treasurer of felt makers ireland and she was attending the three part workshop .It was great to see familiar faces on the screen. The best part about the project was the collaborative process and having the support of fellow felt makers and being able to bounce ideas off each other .
We have set up further classes in May and August this year which will be either online of face to face, depending on where we are .
We also have an exhibition to look forward to: online in August and physical in October and we look forward to inviting back participants to celebrate their feltmaking .
