Lichen

"Lichen" is the second installation commissioned by the ARK. It is an artsicence installation about texture, colour and environment. The installation include an illustrated book with information, facts and curiosities about Lichens; and three large handcrafted tactile wall placed around 3 columns, made from felted wool, silk and other textiles. The pieces are inspired by Lichen's colours and textures. Nature, Our Environment, Sciences and Art converge in "Lichen", blending the four elements in one and smoothing the borders between them. From an artistic perspective the installation focus on colour and texture, stimulating sight and touch. From a scientific perspective, the visitor is introduced to the fascinating world of Lichens. The installation aim to help the visitor to recognise and identify Lichens; to encourage the visitor to look for them in trunks and branches and use them as environmental indicators.

Enjoy the video!



Video Filmed and edited by Riccardo Cereser (www.rikishere.com)
Music:"Robot Anthem Part II" by Learning Music (http://www.learningmusicmonthly.com/)

Natural Colours

Natural colours is one of the installations that I made for The ARK.

It consists in a serie of colourful hanging pieces.

The pieces has been distributed between two wood walls at the entrance of The ARK.

They consist in cute creatures...

...created from the repetition of balls, different sizes and colours.

The installation is aimed to a young public, children from 2 and 12 years.

The pieces are needle felted with wool and dyed with natural colours from vegetables.

The installation focus on number, shape, size and colour for the youngest ones...

...and pattern and chemist for the eldest ones; as natural dyeing is a pure chemist process were acids and bases play an important role.

Two commissions for The ARK

If this blog has been unattended it is because I have been extremely busy working in two commissions for “Awaking curiosity” exhibition, organised by The ARK in Temple Bar, Dublin.

Early this year, The Ark was looking for installations that fusion art and science.

Considering that I define myself as a Scientist with a passion for Textile Crafts and Nature. And since 2010, I combine my job as a Chemist with Feltmaking. “Awaking curiosity” was just the perfect project for me.

I submitted two proposals, and both were selected. Now finished ans installed!

1)“Natural Colours” is about natural dying with common vegetables.

2) “Lichens” is inspired by the colours and textures of Lichens found in the Nature.

It is the first time that I am working with large installations and that caused few logistic troubles.

First, I need to get my 800g of "Savon de marseille" with olive oil. It is the best and quite cheap in France. My boyfriend bought in his last trip.

Second, I needed an Studio. So, our guest room was converted into a Studio. The bed was removed and a large IKEA table was assembled with big boxes under to store all my wool. The Studio was perfect, south facing, nice light.... But when we had guests, we gave them our bed and we need to sleep on the floor!

Awaking curiosity is running from the 14th of May until the 6th of August. The first six weeks it is opened to schools groups; and since the 23rd of June, it will be opened to all public.

Keep an eye on this blog, I’ll post more pictures and Information!

New book!!! "Profiles in Felt" and I'm in; so exciting!!

Last Friday evening was the launch of ‘Profiles in Felt", the first Feltmakers Ireland book.

 It is a collection of the work and stories of 44 feltmakers in Ireland. Each work is different, reflecting the wide flexibility of feltmaking

I'm in page 77 & 78. The two pieces that I choose for the book are my kinitting giraffe and a pixi sitting in a branch with two mushrooms. The two of them needle felted, of course!

It is a beautiful and inspiring publication.

Here you have my story:

" I work as a Scientist but textile crafts have always been my passion. My love of handmade craft goes back to my childhood in Barcelona, where my first teachers were my wonderfully talented grandmother and mother. They taught me sewing, embroidery, knitting, crocheting and macramé. In 2007 I moved to Ireland, a lot of things changed in my life. Ireland offer me the opportunity to invest seriosly in craft. In 2008 I opened my on-line shop on the selling plataform Dawanda. At that time my work was crochet or sewn pieces, I sell gifts and accessories for adults and kids, at the beginning they were crocheted or sewed. It was thanks to some German craftmakers from the same selling platformthat I discovered  felting; this was new for me and I was amazed. I am a self-taught felt maker. I took to needle felting from the beginning.

Detail, colour, simplicity and texture define my style. I concentrate on sculpting small, detailed three dimensional figures. My products are fun  and childlike.My inspiration comes from the materials themselves, my admiration for Nature and my childhood memories. For me it is essential to work with natural materials like wool. In a society constantly running against the clock, I like to invest all the necessary time to make individual and unique pieces to a very high level. I like the playful side of wet felting and the intuitive side of needle felting. Needle felting is a fun art with a wide range of applications, that suits my lifestyle. It is natural and ecofriendly; very little is needed, just few tools, a small table and lot of imagination.
I feel that I’m just at the beginning. There is so much to do that I will need a life-time to achieve it. In 2010 I joined Feltmakers IReland and then started teaching needle felting which I really enjoy. I do wish to keep teaching, especially in other countries as I speak French and Spanish. I would like to do larger pieces and submit to exhibitions. And maybe one day I will be able to live from my carft; my boyfriend and I have a dream to live suistanibly from our garden and craft in his house in the French country side."

Nuno felted dresses with Charity Van der Meer!

I'm so proud of my nuno felted dress!!

I made this dress in a three days workshop organised by FeltmakersIreland. The teacher was Charity Van der Meer, an amazing fashion design from Zambia but living in Holland.

She works with just one layer of extrafine Merino on silk ponge or chiffon. (I used red chiffon).

She has up to 50 % of shrinkage and lays the fibres on the direction that she wants the shrinkage happening. That's how she shapes the dress. (It's hard to belive that you can get a dress from that, isn't it?)

From the same pattern we got many different dresses and jackets.

Mine is pure colour madness! I had a very busy time recently and I planned to buy my wool the week before the workshop, but plans changed at last minute and instead of been in Wicklow buying my wool and silk I finished in Connemara hillwalking and kayaking against the wind!! So, for my dress I just took all the wool and fabrics that I had at home: three different greens, reds, whites and blacks!!

I paniked a litlle bite, I didn't know how to put all together without looking like a clown. Thanks to Clodagh who carded all the wool together for the tops, bringing all the colours together beatufully and thanks to Charity who helped me with the surface embellishment.

I'm very pleased with the result, but I hope that it's the last time that I left the shopping for last minute!!

The dresses are so nice to wear, they adapt to your body, just showing the best of you!! And moreover they are reversible!! What else can you ask to a dress?

Check here and here to see more of Charity's work. It's just faboulous!!

Great workshop with Birgitte Krag in Denmark

In September I was in Denmark to attend a 2 days workshop with master needle feltmaker Birgitte Krag.

 We work on the human figure. This is my doll.

This figure is flexible because has a body made with pipe cleaners.

 All what you do is to wrap the  wire skeleton with a 1st thin layer of wool, and after you keep adding more layers and wool to create the body volumes. Like that, the head, the belly, the breast and the bottom are made by felting extra balls of wool to the body.

 The face has a lot of detail but it's made in the same way, by adding wool in specific spots (cheeks, nose, ...)

Always it fascinates me how in the same class, after following the same instructions, the finished items can look so different. I think they have their own personality!

I had great time in Denmark, my doll still need to be finished, but I came back with plenty of technical tips...

 ...and few felting goodies as these beautiful crafted wood handles for needels and this natural coloured wool, perfect for needle felting.

The wool is from NewZeland bought in http://www.henrichsens-uldspinderi.dk/

 Birgitte (the one with the green foulard) is a very good teacher. I was amazed to see how she got 12 people progressing at the same pace in a relax and friendly environment. 

Birgitte is a very good artist with  a very good knwoledge of the human figure, she gaves us a lot of tips to make our dolls a more real look.

It was a plesure to see her work in life. 

I like this owl. Very often she is inspired by the wool themself, she works a lot with raw wool.

If you want to learn how to needle felted a human like figure, I advise you Birgitte's book "New felt", you can get it directly from her, on her web www.feltmaking.com, she'll write a llittle word for you! or you can attend one of her workshops in Copenhagen. They are in Danish, but even not speaking  a Danish word, I could followed the class without any problem. It is a practical course, with very visual demonstrations. And every body was very nice, the others students helped translating, specially Lena from Sweden, she even baked a cake for the last day, delicious!! And Birgitte was very generous with her attentions towards me!!  

I really enjoyed my stay in Copenhagen, I loved the city, their colours, their architecture, their design, their craft, their love for vintage, their bikes!!!

"handmAid" Craft classes in aid of relief the famine in the Horn of Africa

‘handmAid‘ is a craft day in aid of relief for the famine currently happening in the Horn of Africa (Somalia, Ethiopia, and neighbouring countries).

On Saturday 3rd September 2011, in Damer Hall on Stephen’s Green. All proceeds are going to the Oxfam appeal.

There is three crafty ways to help!
1. Take part in a class! There will be classes in different crafts going on all day. (Classes and demonstrations are one to two hours long, and cost just €10 per person (materials provided)!
2. Go shopping! The market stall table will have lots of lovely handmade items to buy, or craft supplies to stock up on.
3. Stitch n bitch! Come and sit in on a big stitch n bitch, buy some bake-sale cake, and drink some donated coffee.

I will volunteer teaching needle felting and Nessa will be teaching wet felting.
It is an excellent opportunity to learn a new craft. Good teachers, good ambiance, very good value and all for a good cause. Be there!!
Want to know more, or to volunteer for any part of ‘handmAid’? check here: http://handmaidcraftday.com/

See you there!!!