Felt Art by Teresa Glover

Fibre and Textile Artist

Eco Art - inspired by the earth

Hello, and Welcome to my web.

I am a full time Fibre and Textile Artist who works with natural fibres, threads, and fabrics to create felt and fibre art. I use native vegetation dyes that are local to this region, and random stitch to create individual eco art, and renewed art.

My art is influenced by the colour, light and texture of the bush landscape that surrounds my studio in central Victoria, Australia. I draw on previous experience and exploration of photography, leadlight, metal sculpture, and mosaic to add a unique design. In the mid 1980's I concentrated on designing and creating unique leadllight windows based on the brilliant colours of Australian native birds. After this I mainly worked with metal and mosaic, but my true love is textile and fibre art. I have been making and selling fibre art since 2004.

The past six years has been dedicated to the exploration of wool, alpaca, silk, and other natural fibres and fabrics. Developing and exhibiting large two metre long landscapes inspired by both traditional and modern painters. Needing a broader pallete I began to dye my own merino wool and thread with local native vegetation. And capture the true landscape in my felt.

The dye pots full of gum leaves, wattle and what ever else was plentiful, began to evolve. Old linen, sheets, and blankets are enlivened and revived with leaves and twigs and bark. Fragments of undyed wool, silk, linen, and cotton are collected and placed in the natural vegetation dye pots. Along with some silk thread.

The fragments of earthy Australian tones are placed into felt, or stitched into a slow cloth.

In the past have exhibited with other artists from 2006 onwards, and had my first solo exhibition in early 2010.

In 2010 I was awarded The Contemporary Textile Art Award - Inspired by Buda for a large felt piece.

This year after visiting Indonesia and studying indigo batik, I began to think seriously about using local vegetation in batik. I have named this Eco Wax Batik because it is a chemical free process of batik. These fragments of reclaimed cloth are used in hand stitched cloth and felt.

Eco Wax Batik

Eco Art

Sculptured Vessels

Hand Stitched Slow Cloth

Eco art is made from reclaimed materials, using local native vegetation dyes, and solar power along with my imagination. It is hand made.

The Sculptural vessels are an expression of nature portraying a soft, flowing, elegant form. Based on the organic lines of local fungi, and the delicate petals of native flowers unique to the Box Ironbark Forest. They are made using organic wool, and coloured using just the local native vegetation.

Hand stitching organic earth toned fragments of cloth into a larger slow cloth, creating a mood, a picture. Something that displays energy and is rich in texture and colour that is so local. A contemplative, meditation, an expression of the quietness and beauty of my surrounds.

Felt Art

Felt is exquisite, the medium is flexible and allows me explore both landscape and modern contemporary art themes. Each felt piece is carefully designed and crafted using a number of techniques, and a broad artist pallet of pre dyed and vegetation dyed natural fibres and fabrics collected over many years.

About the Felt Making

Each felt rug takes up to three weeks of design and creative layout, and then another full day to wet down and roll. During the following two weeks it is fulled, shaped and rinsed prior to drying. It is then carefully prepared for the gallery.

The making of felt is a messy, and space/time hungry art. But I continue to be inspired by and interpret the vibrant hues in the landscape around me, and the beautiful lights in the felt art. I am learning and developing something new in the evolution of my art with every felt art piece.

Eco Blankets

Sustainable art to keep you warm.

Each blanket is collected after a lifetime of keeping us warm. And now it begins a new era. The blanket is cleaned then dyed with native vegetation dye. This dyeing technique was learned from India Flint in several of her wonderful workshops. I love the way this technique brings out all the intricate detail in the native vegetation and gives the blanket a beautiful warm earthy feel.

The native vegetation can include Eucalypt, Wattle, leaf litter, bark, and other non threatened native vegetation flora. Any holes or tears art then celebrated as part of the history of the blanket, they are stitched with random stitching using eco dyed silk thread. I dye all my own thread and hand stitch the blankets and the occasional cushion. The renewed eco blanket or eco cushion then begins a new journey.

About the Vegetation Dyeing

Each blanket is dyed and hand stitched over a number of weeks. The dyed native vegetation colour can vary from seasonal changes at time of collection.

There are no additives or toxic powder mordants used in my dyeing process. It is very friendly to you and to the earth. The colours are fast and may be more intense over time, but they also may be changed by some washing detergents used to clean the blanket. Washing will gradually fade the intensity of the dyes and the detail over time.

Statement

Slow art, slow clothing, made with care and consideration for the enviroment. This eco art has no detrimental enviromental impact and it safe against your skin. It is made from all natural fibres and is dyed with sustainable vegetation dyes without using any powdered chemical mordants. It is safe from babies and you and will not irritate your skin. This art is labeled Eco Wear, or Eco Blanket.