2021 Textile & Fiber
Lisa Nelson
|
I've been working professionally as a fiber artist for six years. One of my greatest joys has been sharing my fascination of and delight in the process that turns loose wool fiber into solid felt. At art shows, I have the opportunity to explain this process to those who pass through my booth, and it is a rare person who isn't surprised that such simple ingredients as wool, soap, water, and the agitation created with my hands can transform something so light as loose wool fibers into something wispy or very solid, depending on the artist's whim. The almost magical process of felting and the woods near my home are inspiration as I create felted wool hats, scarves, lamps, and other accessories to add to the beauty.
|
Betty Chamness Trost | Des Moines
|
Betty Chamness Trost is a Des Moines, Iowa artist who creates a life of color and texture through mandala stone painting, embroidery, and needle felting. She is a life-long and self-taught maker. Since 2016, when she retired from teaching at Iowa State University, she has focused on creating her art. She sells at a variety of indoor and outdoor art shows in the midwest. She enjoys teaching adult classes and does so at garden nurseries, wineries, art galleries, offices, and homes.
Betty works with stones for their weight and warmth. Smooth stones seek to be held and encourage meditation, making them the perfect medium for exploring the use of texture and color in everyday life. In her work, Betty transforms these naturally smooth stones into soothing and meditative objects of art. On some stones, she hand-paints dotted mandala designs using multiple layers of brilliant acrylic paints to create captivating 3-D textures. On other stones after wet-felting them with wool fibers, she adorns them with hand-embroidered blossoms and leaves. She sources her stones from the coasts of the Pacific Northwest and beaches around Lake Superior. She also needle-felts wool garden themed pictures, often featuring delightful bumble bees with silk wings. |