Whale Watch Room Gallery Exhibit Opening Reception - Julia Carpenter

EXHIBIT Creating scenes of our ocean environment with natural fiber. The artwork represented here is comprised of wool and other natural fibers felted together with a special notched needle in a process called needle felting. I use a piece of felted wool as a base then use loose wool fibers (roving) and poke them into the base to create the picture. Many types and colors of wool are used, as well as effect fibers such as silk and bamboo. The notches on the needle snag, catch, and tangle the fibers as they are poked into the base felt in what is a very meditative and repetitive exercise. INSPIRATION Walks among majestic pines and cypress, redwoods and madrones, flowering fauna, sprouting spotted mushrooms, and the creatures of land and sea inspire me daily. BIO Working as a textile artist for many years, I have learned to weave, quilt, and batik. My love of textiles inspired me to study fashion design and then later interior design in the Bay Area. I worked as a color consultant, faux finish painter, and eventually a Feng Shui practitioner in San Francisco before retiring to The Sea Ranch. Thanks to a friend who came to visit, I began practicing the rudimentary procedures of an art called needle felting, and I have developed a passion for it. My work is influenced by the natural splendor of this beautiful coast, with all its wonders.