International Feltmakers Association Felt Swap - inspired by Hundertwasser

One of the many things that I love about the felting community is that it is very generous of spirit – in time, advice and encouragement. Another wonderful example of generosity is the International Feltmakers Association’s Felt Swap.

The Felt Swap is an annual event where we get paired with another member (who could be located anywhere in the world). You are tasked with an item to wet-felt or needle-felt, and also a theme. You create the piece then swap it with your paired partner.

This year the challenge was right up my creative alley - to create a 20cm x 20cm fibre painting with the theme ‘inspired by an artist’.

Here is my artwork for our felt swap. My felt-swapping-partner is Annabel Finding (Casimer Creations) – I'm in Auckland, New Zealand and Annabel is in Alderney, Channel Islands.

I chose my artist before I knew Annabel was my swap partner. The artist that I used as inspiration for this piece is Friedensreich Hundertwasser. Hundertwasser was an Austrian artist who lived in Kawakawa, New Zealand for around 30 years (3 hours north of where I live In Auckland, and very near where Annabel lived for a time in Whangarei!). He believed in an organic approach to both his art and architecture (the absence of straight lines, unregulated irregularities, etc). Today, there is the most amazing Hundertwasser Art Centre in Whangarei. How cool is that? We were meant to be paired together!

hundertwasserartcentre.co.nz

hundertwasser.com/en

‘The cat who dreamed in colour’

By Sarah Ritchie

20cm x 20cm

New Zealand wool fibre, cotton, bamboo, silk

Needle-felted

Instagram: @sarahritchiehq

Facebook: sarahritchiehq