Between light and dark

Every day feels like a discovery at the moment - a delightful exploration, finding my way. I was chatting to a friend the other night, reminiscing as ever on my time at college studying costume. On graduating I had dreams of a career working in film or theatre, travelling the world and doing so many exciting things.

Oh how differently my life has turned out. Teaching wonderful people who perhaps have profound difficulties in their lives. Seeing proud smiles and quiet words at the beautiful things they have made. Their confidence growing and that feeling of satisfaction at creating something from scratch and holding it in their hands. One lady said to me "I did not know I could make something so beautiful". These are things that I am hesitant to talk about on my blog as I so want to respect the privacy and choices of the people I have been working with. But in truth I, too am proud. Both of them and their achievements, but also that I have the opportunity to be a part of that and in a whisper I can say to myself that I do feel I am making a difference.

I received a wonderful letter recently from the organisation I have been working for, commending me on the workshops I have been taking and the development of the groups I have been working with. I am not very good at talking about this, indeed it feels boastful to even be mentioning it here. But the fact is I do feel a real sense of achievement and satisfaction from the work I have been doing and smile as I think of the feedback I have received. I could never have predicted 2 years ago that I would be teaching workshops to community groups but now I realise that for me, it allows me the perfect balance between this at times self indulgent career of creating, and the thought that I am helping to make a difference, however small it may be, and then I know with certainty that I am following the right path.

The other discovery is a love of felt-making. Again slightly unexpected since I had not created anything in felt since college where I taught myself the basic skills in order to make a costume. I rediscovered this wonderul craft when I had the challenge of thinking of a textiles subject to teach in my workshops which involved minimal equipment (ie no sewing machines) and knowing that the groups had already been taught hand sewing skills. In teaching hand felting, I now find myself wanting to felt everything and it seems to be the perfect way of exploring my love of texture and muted colours and organic shapes in the form of my accessories. My method is almost like painting with fibres and I love the way I can interpret my ideas for texure and also shapes like victorian style collars such those in my etsy shop now.

As I love to explore themes of old, dreams and the magic of twilight in my artwork, so felt allows me to do this in a painterly way with my accessories. That space between light and dark, the hours between sunset and sunrise. Layers and light and ethereal twilight.

The twilight flower show and In the gloaming hand felted bags now available in my etsy shop!

Comments

[Craftymoose]

How very wonderful to feel this great sense of accomplishment. Congratulations doesn't seem like the right word and I'm proud of you sounds rather familiar for blog buddies, so I will just say how happy I feel for you.

When you described "painting" with felt, it is exactly what I feel inside begging to come out!

[waterrose]

What a wonderful gift you give to others. I'm sure that it will be returned ten fold. Your new bags are lovely and they do look like portable works of art. Very cool!

[reform]

lovely bags