Inspirational Challenge: Genesis of a felt sculpture
Challenging resist making
A few days ago I stumbled across a beautiful challenge, set up by the sculptural wet felting FB group (SWF). The proposition was to replicate, or develop, a ceramic bowl made by Japanese ceramic artist Shinya Tanoue( to avoid encountering any copyright restrictions, I don’t use the photo here, please follow the links to see it)
Immediately seduced by the beautiful and unusual shape chosen by Mia Hartgroves for the challenge and very inspired by the work of Tanoue’s art in general, I put my current work on hold and started experimenting.
First trial - a failure
The contest had attracted my attention because of the unusual form, hard to replicate in traditional wet felting techniques. The first step in sculptural felt making is creating a 2D resist. The first challenge was - to figure out this 2d shape. A perfect exercise for my lately a bit lazy brain!
Usually I d’ont get it right the first time. This one wasn’t an exception: the first trial was a disaster (at least it felt like it in the beginning). when only my brain thinks,it never works. It needs my hands which are much better in figuring things out! While manipulating the first model, my hand did what they usual do: laughing at my brain and telling him everything he was unable to see. Used to that, my brain smiled back and registered the info.
Here my first attempt:
The first shape I made didn’t worked for me for several reasons:
the imagined resist shape
the color choice
and foremost all, the use of too many layers
Focusing on the need of a certain “sturdiness “for the project, I choose to work with 8 layers of wool and two layers of paper. To match Tanoue’s vessel colors, I worked with a first layer of turquoise blue mulberry paper, 2 layers of turquoise blue, two layers of black and two layers of brownish gray wool. This ended up in a much too sturdy felt quality, difficult to shape. But what really stopped me from moving on was the effect created by the gray fibers peeking through the blue paper. I’m always repelled when wool fibers are making this hairy film on paper or fabrics. The main issue here was that the bleu and gray combination made it look dirty.
Following the suggestions of my hands
While struggling with all these failures, my hands suggested another way to my brain for the resist. Luckily my brain is clever enough to follow my hands advises! In this second shape I took inspiration on the hat shape resist I make for my sculptural hats (taught in my hat making workshops).
Black and white design
Frustrated by the first outcome. I decided to no longer be concerned by both – color and shape but to concentrate on the shape only. I made a new resist, grabbed some black fibers and made a much thinner wool layout with only one (white) mulberry paper layer.
As soon as the fibers started to bend and I was able to take out the resist, I knew I was on the right path:
Some more rolling, fooling and shaping and the vessel started to show up:
The beginning of experimental fun
Cutting in
During the first model, I had noticed that only cutting into the shape would allow me to reproduce the envisioned shape. But believe me, even after so many years, it needs bravery to cut into something I spent hours to create!
Luckily I was brave and did it! My bravery was rewarded with an inspirational time!
I couldn’t stop experimenting with all the possibilities the cut allowed me to “try”. I couldn’t stop playing and taking pictures! Here some of the photos which will be a precious source of inspiration for other projects!
Creating texture
Inspired by the texture of Tanoue’s vessel, I decided to embroider the shape with free motion machine stitching, fist in black, then in light gray. Through stitching the piece became more and more bendable and in-between stitching I continued taking inspirational photos.
Coloring
Once everything stitched and assembled, I was quiet happy with my piece and thought it was finished. But after a good night’s sleep, dreaming of my next Mixed Media Textile Art Class, in witch I encourage my students to always push a bit further, I woke up motivated to color the vessel.
Attracted by my favorite blue hue in my paint supplies, I went for it. Instead of trying to make it the cooper green like Tanoue, I choose this combination of white and turquoise blue:
After another night, I woke up with the envy to try out giving the vessel a more glaze look - and as usual when inspiration strokes, I just took everything that felt into my hands to experiment and enjoy a fullfilling moment in intuitive creation.
Below is, where I am currently.
Not sure this is finished. But it feels I need observation time now. This is the vessel I summit to the SWF challenge. Thank you Mia Hartgroves for inspiring me with your idea of this challenge and Shin’ya Tanoue for the inspirational beautiful work he puts into this world.
Please feel welcome to comment! Your feedback is highly appreciated!
Creatively yours,
Ariane Mariane
P. S:
You may have notice that I show the vessel only form one side. This is because on the other side I followed my inspiration more freely. It got a seashell like look…
