Guild member Astrid Tomrop-Hofmann has been invited to exhibit her work at the Shoreline Arts Festival, in Portumna, Co Galway. The Visual Arts Exhibition is displayed in the beautiful and historical museum, The Irish Workhouse Centre.
The show runs from Monday, the8th of September, through Sunday, the 21st.
Feltmakers Ireland aims to share information about awards, education, events, exhibitions, and opportunities that you will find interesting. Our sharing is neither paid for by nor an endorsement of these individuals or organisations.
Contact Us: If you have any concerns about content, please email us at feltmakersie@gmail.com.
Questions: For questions about the content, please follow the link to the organisation hosting the event.
Vessels by Feltmakers Ireland guild member Astrid Tomrop-Hofmann – includes Galway wool fibre
The Irish Native Rare Breed Society (INRBS) will display a selection of rare breeds in Bunratty Heritage and Folk Park in Co Clare on August 18th from 10 AM to 5 PM.
Furthermore, as part of this Heritage Week event, an art exhibition will highlight the wonders of native Irish Galway Wool and its pivotal role in our textile cultural heritage. If you missed the Galway Wool Co-op’s Meitheal in Athenry, this event is an excellent opportunity to see some of the work. Plus, there will new pieces made from Irish wool. At least three of Feltmakers Ireland guild members will have felted art in the show: Astrid Tomrop-Hofmann, Karena Ryan, and Juliane Gorman.
This incredible display, curated by artist Michelle Hickey Legge, showcases how our Native Irish wool-growing heritage can once again become the sustainable strength behind a revived—REAL and 100% Irish-grown woollen Sector, the communities it could support, and its ecological footprint.
Feltmakers Ireland aims to share information about awards, education, events, exhibitions, and opportunities that you will find interesting. Our sharing is neither paid for by nor an endorsement of these individuals or organisations.
Contact Us: If you have any concerns about content, please email us at feltmakersie@gmail.com.
Questions: For questions about content, please follow the link to the organisation involved in hosting the event.
Feltmakers Ireland’s art exhibition at the Phoenix Park Visitors’ Centre is curated around the ‘Opposites Attract’ theme this year. In the gallery, you can read about each piece’s inspiration. For those who cannot make it to the show, here are the inspiration and photographs of some more of our members’ artwork.
The Series
The complete series of posts on our Members’ Inspiration can be found here:
The inspiration for the vessel ‘Roulette’ comes from the overthrow of nature with its diversity.
Light, Movement, Smells and Sounds play a major role in the development and implementation of my ideas!
There is so much to see and explore; you just have to look out for it. Enjoy discovering my vessels!
Breda Fay
Breda Fay – ‘Attraction isn’t always black and white’
I liked the balance of black and white. The magnetism was added after playing a game with my grandson. Does it attract/repel?
Lory Cotti Cottini
Lory Cotti Cottini – ‘Shades of Light Dark’
Separation/Union, Fragments/Whole form, in between Emotions and Shades, create my artistic works.
Neasa Ryan
Neasa Ryan -‘Moondance’
For ‘Moondance’, dark alien-like figures/faces sprung to mind, however as the piece evolved, with the addition of curved stems slightly revealing the dark colour underneath, I felt it provided a slightly softer feel to the piece, and it reminded me of gaunt alien type flowers or emaciated alien forms. Either way, with the cloudy white background, the Van Morrison song ‘Moondance’ sprung to mind, and I felt it was an apt name for the piece. In such an inhospitable environment, devoid of life as we know it, what could be more opposite (yet attractive) than flowers on the moon or flowers /alien forms dancing harmoniously on the moonscape for that matter?
Ramona Farrelly
Ramona Farrelly – ‘Ebb and flow’
‘Ebb and flow’ is a childhood memory of climbing in and around the rock pools at various beaches I spent my summers with my cousins on the east coast shores of Dublin and Wicklow. The creatures living on these rocks and in these pools fascinated me. Half in water, half out, the water changes their environment and how they look. The limpets clinging tightly to the rocks, as well as the sea urchins, took up lots of my childhood curiosity.
Ursula Heiting-Wiese
Ursula Heiting-Wiese – ‘Salt and Pepper Scarf’
The combination of soft silk and (considerably) rough wool that transforms into something completely new with Nuno felting is the perfect interpretation of the theme for me. To emphasise the opposites further, I chose black and white and open and closed parts with a ‘holey’ scarf.
We hope that you enjoyed learning about what inspires these artists. This series on the exhibition will continue over the coming weeks. ‘Opposites Attract’ is at the Phoenix Park Visitors Centre until the 26th of May.
The gallery is open from 10 AM until 4 PM daily.
Disclaimer for Feltmakers Ireland Blog
Feltmakers Ireland aims to share information about awards, education, events, exhibitions, and opportunities that you will find interesting. Our sharing is neither paid for by nor an endorsement of these individuals or organisations.
Contact Us: If you have any concerns about content, please email us at feltmakersie@gmail.com.
Questions: For questions about content, please follow the link to the organisation involved in hosting the event.
Feltmakers Ireland has recently learned that the Phoenix Park Visitors’ Centre is not open on Mondays or Tuesdays. However, visitors can visit the guild’s exhibition the rest of the week, from Wednesdays through Sundays, from 10 AM until 4 PM.
Our opening ceremony will be at 3 PM on Saturday, the 4th of May. Tom Watts of the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland (DCCI) will officially open our exhibition with a brief speech.
Feltmakers Ireland’s annual exhibition, ‘Opposites Attract,’ features 38 pieces from our members. The artworks range from naturalistic landscapes to abstract pieces, from wearables to wall art. Here are seven ‘sneak peeks’ from our members to whet your appetite!
Sneak Peeks:
Irina Lampadova
Ursula Heiting-Wiese
Neasa Ryan
Breda Fay
Bernie Hennessy
Audrey Murray
Astrid Tomrop-Hofmann
We will share glimpses of other members’ artworks tomorrow! Only four more days until Saturday!
Disclaimer for Feltmakers Ireland Blog
Feltmakers Ireland aims to share information about awards, education, events, exhibitions, and opportunities that you will find interesting. Our sharing is neither paid for by nor an endorsement of these individuals or organisations.
Contact Us: If you have any concerns about content, please email us at feltmakersie@gmail.com.
Questions: For questions about content, please follow the link to the organisation involved in hosting the event.
Applications are now open for Sculpture in Context. This is an excellent opportunity to get your work seen by a large audience. The deadline for application is soon — the 9th of April.
Some members of Feltmakers Ireland have exhibited in previous years. The images below are from Sculpture in Context 2022.
From the top left: Carmen Garcia, Ramona Farrelly
From bottom left: Astrid Tomrop-Hofmann, Fiona Leech, Annika Berglund, Juliane Gorman
(FI likes to keep you updated on upcoming opportunities. If you know of other upcoming events, please send them to us, and we will share them with the members.)
The weather is a bit miserable at the moment, but there should be lovely crisp days ahead as we head into early autumn.
The National Botanic Gardens are magnificent this time of year, and for the month of September you can combine visiting the gardens with a treasure hunt for exciting sculptures all over the place, indoors and outdoors.
About Sculpture in Context
Sculpture in Context was established in 1985 to raise the profile of sculpture in Ireland and provide a platform for artists outside the normal gallery context. It is a not-for-profit organisation run by sculptors. The exhibition has been staged in the National Botanic Gardens since 2002.
Sculpture in Context promotes artists and creates opportunities for practicing artists to exhibit their works in a wider public arena. The organisation has provided much needed opportunities for Irish and non-Irish sculptors in Ireland.
LISTINGS INFORMATION
Exhibition: Sculpture in Context
Location: National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin
Dates: 1 September – 7 October 2022
Times: Mon-Fri 10:00-17:00, Sat-Sun 10:00-18:00.
Admission: Free. Group tours of the Gardens and the Exhibitions will be available for booking through Eventbrite
This year even more feltmakers are exhibiting so congrats to all and make sure to go visit!
As there are quite a number of feltmakers included there are two blog posts covering the exhibiting artists. This is the second blog post. Artists are listed in the order we have received information. If you have not been asked for details but are exhibiting in Sculpture in Context, please contact us as there are so many artists involved that we may have missed someone. This second blog covers the work of Carmen Garcia, Astrid Tomrop-Hofmann, Juliane Gorman and Claire Merry. Claire is a long time member of Feltmakers Ireland so we have included her piece here even if it isn’t made of felt.
What does Home feel like?by Carmen Garcia
This piece was made in response to the stories coming to us from the war in Ukraine. I wanted it to represent the pain, to be visceral, to be felt.
I used the dissonance between the homely, earthy slipper, that resonates with “cosy” and “safe” and the intense red of the exposed arteries and veins which resonates with life, but also with blood and violence.
However, what I am really interested in, is the feeling people experience while looking at it. Either having read the title or not.
What does Home feel like – Carmen Garcia
The Glow Worms Nest by Astrid Tomrop-Hofmann
The materials, shapes, structures and colours of my native surroundings provide inspiration for my creation. Working with different raw wool types ( unwashed and uncarded fleece loosened by hand ) fascinates me.
This piece embodies warmth, softness, protection and comfort. The upright rods radiate decisiveness and togetherness, all the while surrounded by organic matter.
I love to explore working with silk, recycled materials, paper, rich colours and texture combinations . I employ a variety of techniques to create my work and find joy and share it!
Felting for me is diving into a world of unlimited opportunities. The dialogue with the material wool and the interaction of art and craft, and thereby the implementation of a millennium old technique, captivates me.
The Glow Worms Nest by Astrid Tomrop-Hofmann
Perpetual Felt by Juliane Gorman
Usually, I create whimsical wet-felted hats. However, for Sculpture in Context, I wanted to explore installations.
As I wandered through the gardens in winter, the ancient, naked stems of the Wisteria Chain Tent caught my eye. I found it unbelievable that this organic structure was so large that it almost was a building! Did it feel embarrassed not to have leaves? And what about its cascading blossoms? They would only exist for a few weeks.
My twirling purple pods are an attempt to adorn this quirky location.
There are spiralling, felted cords on each pod made from locally-raised Romney wool. My supplier for this material is Natural Wool Ireland. (https://www.naturalwoolireland.ie/) Although the bulk of the fibre used in the pods is Merino and sadly not Irish-raised. Nonetheless, this wool is also sustainable because all sheep are shorn annually.
Perpetual Felt by Juliane Gorman
Fly Me To The Moon by Claire Merry
I refer to myself as an ‘Art Butterfly’, as I have had great fun and satisfaction in playing with different media. It gives me great pleasure to try out something new and working with proven techniques from previous works.
I have worked with textiles, clays and principally for the last fourteen years with handmade felt. This piece is based on a previous much smaller one, so resizing it was a nice challenge. I love steampunk style, so I have teamed up the hot air balloon with the penny-farthing bicycle, to deliver flowers to the moon on slow power
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.
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.
Feltmakers Ireland 