I was first introduced to feltmaking about fifteen years ago when an art tutor suggested that it might be a way of producing an effect I was looking for.  For several years after this I used the technique occasionally but it was not until 2009 that I began a City and Guilds course in craft and design specialising in feltmaking.  This gave me a much deeper understanding of the history of felt and the range of possibilities this ancient craft offers.

 

Felt can be gossamer thin and lace-like or three dimensional and sturdy and anywhere in between.  Traditional wool felt can be combined with other natural fibres and fabrics to create new forms and surfaces and it is this versatility which causes me to keep on exploring and discovering.

 

Much of the inspiration for my work comes from the natural world around me with flowers and plants featuring strongly.  This may be in a directly representational way or in more abstract forms.  I find myself returning to the landscapes of my Scottish birthplace as well as responding to the local Buckinghamshire countryside.  A trip to the Shetland Isles also left its mark as well as introducing me to yet more breeds of sheep whose wool has its own particular character and felting properties.