Greetings
Welcome to Fiber and Felt and the wonderful world of creating beautiful one-of-a-kind art sourced from nature. My legal name is Mary Beth but I sign all of my art as EmBee as homage to my parents' nickname for me and as a reminder that when people believe in us, we can accomplish anything!
As a shepherdess deeply connected to the earth and animals, I use wool and fleece from my Sheep and Alpacas to create wool paintings. Whenever possible, I sup\p\liment my stash of supplies with fiber from other small farms. The colorful hues of the fiber become my paint. By blending and integrating needle felting, elements of rug hooking, and punch needle (along with many other new techniques I may discover), I create unique, vibrant, textural art that provides unusual depth and dimension. The effect is truly magical.
Peruse my gallery, meet the fiber animals, or sign up to learn more about the reinvigorated yet traditional art of felt-making. I look forward to sharing my passion with you.
With love from the farm,
EmBee
About Me...
Artist, Animal Companion, Counselor, and Healer. I have been passionate about building connections and honoring creation throughout my life. In my younger years, I explored painting through oils, watercolors, and acrylics and dabbled in tole and folk art painting. It was not until I stumbled into wool painting at a street fair that I found my ideal medium for expression.
This discovery perfectly coincided with a major change in my life as a former corporate marketing executive in New York I traded in my hectic schedule arduous commute and demanding deadlines and moved to a small farm on the island of Martha's Vineyard. It was not long after that the pastures were filled with alpacas, sheep goats, donkeys, and ducks. My fiber journey had truly begun.
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For me creating art is a deeply spiritual process. Connecting to the land, to nature to my animals, and the overwhelming beauty of creation and the created is what makes my heart smile. Engaging in felt and making fiber paintings is how I can express the language of my soul.
In addition to colorful art, I make space for working with clients as a spiritual counselor, reiki practitioner, and interspiritual minister. My life is full and I am truly blessed.
About the Farm...
Alpacas, sheep, donkeys, and goats — oh my! (and ducks and dogs too.) It is hard to imagine anything more beautiful than living on Martha's Vinyard surrounded by glistening waters, flanked by beautiful colorful clay cliffs, weather rock walls, and winding dirt roads. What makes this land even more spectacular than all those treasures is the agricultural community and the preponderance of farms here.
I've been a dog companion all my life but it was not until I moved here that the allure of farming and sharing my space with many types of animals beckoned me. Each one of our animals is a teacher, a guide, and a companion, inviting anyone willing to spend time with them to learn something new about themselves and about being in a relationship.
In addition to providing fabulous fiber for my art, these furry friends engage in nature walks, and community events, and are important elements in any workshop or retreat I host. It is not enough to create phenomenal art, I believe we must first honor and pay homage to the source and that source is our family of four-legged friends! They would love to meet you up close and personal you can get a preview by checking their profiles or purchasing their fiber.
About the Fiber...
One of the gifts my animal companions share is their fiber. The alpacas (Huacayaa and Suri), and the sheep (Southdown baby dolls and Finlandia) are shorn once a year. The fiber is then sorted, washed, carded, and sometimes spun or dyed. This fiber becomes the p\alette for my painting. When needed I supplement my supply with animal fiber from other small farms including mohair, silk, neeps, Wensleydale, border Lester, Teeswater, Locks, and wool from other sheep breeds. Combining different types of fibers helps create the ep\th and richness that is present in my art. There are always new techniques and materials to discover.
But let's start with the basics. There are primarily two types of felting; wet felting and needl felting. Some artists specialize in one or the other, while some combine the two. Wet felting is a textile art that has been around for thousands of years. Wet felting involves the process of layering fibers in alternating directions and using warm soapy water and friction to agitate the fibers to form a textile. Welt felting can be used as a base for needle felting or used to create shapes such as; bowls, hats, shoe insoles, and on and on.
Needle felting is sometimes referred to as dry felting and involves pushing pulling and working together fibers using a barbed needle You can use needle felting to create 2-D images or make 3-D objects like figurines.
I love xp\erimnting and adding new elements to my art so I sometimes incorporate sections of rug hooking, punch needle, or stitching into my pieces. Variety is the spice of life and I am thrilled to incorporate techniques and materials into this wonderful world of felt creation.
Because I love the texture and depth of my felt painting I rarely pace glass over my finished work. Itrat all my pieces with lavender which is a holistic method for protecting the felt. You can also use a can of compressed air like you would use for your computer keyboard or gently use a feather duster to remove dust. As in all art or dyed fabric art should not be displayed in direct sunlight.
Felting is an ancient and fascinating art. If you would like to learn more please sign up for my fiber & felt newsletter.
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Contact
I'm always looking for new and exciting opportunities. Let's connect.
+1 (917) 886-6020