At the start of the pandemic in 2020, I turned from a part time career as a performing musician and music teacher to full-time farming. I made a fascinating discovery: farming is one of the most creative callings out there. It is an ever-changing lens through which daily tasks, however mundane, become a feast for the senses. Farmers work in relationship with the land, the weather, the animals, and their community. It’s a true challenge (thus the need for creativity!). 

 

With this inspiration always at hand, I felt my creative energy turning from musical expression to visual art. I had worked for nearly twenty years needle-felting wool miniatures with Bossy’s Feltworks. I now felt drawn to a more painterly approach. Starting with wool roving, I wet-felt the general landscape into a wool “canvas,” onto which I needle-felt layers of dyed or natural wool to create “paintings”. I use the word “painting” for lack of a better term, as I never actually use a brush or pigment. 

 

The novelty of painting these scenes with wool might catch the viewers’ attention and affirm this important truth: We are called and connected with this land, the animals, and this historic livelihood. It is my hope that my artwork shines a light on this connection, and that as we feel it more deeply we are more inclined to preserve and protect it.