Mark-making has always been a focus when re-creating my complex paper designs into felt compositions. I often laminated found fabrics to incorporate marks into my felt, but this was limiting and didn't give me the specific marks I wanted.
Through close observation and detailed studies I had developed my own visual language relating to my chosen theme of The Canal. This included a range of meaningful marks ranging from fine and subtle to dramatic and bold. How could I translate this into my felt?
A single mark, whether produced by pencil, pen, brush or needle can be meaningful and effective, but the combination of marks, layered in complexity was a challenge.
I realised that I needed to consider not only the marks I want to produce, but how the choice of fibres, the order of working, the effects of scale and shrinkage, the migration of colour through the layers all play their part and affect the finished result.
Vincent van Gogh stated that 'Great things are done by a series of small things brought together'.
I found that by building up my marks as abstract layers, the marks are not only juxtaposed but layered one on top of another. The lines overlap or meet at a specific point. The colours migrate producing a range of qualities and intensities. I learned to accept that however much attention to detail I put into this creative process, little surprises often occur during the felt-making process.
Barbara Hepworth speaks about the gap between conception and realisation. She explains how intuition is needed to overcome this gap without compromising the integrity of the original idea.
By analysing, embracing and responding to my my felt, I now recognise that it is the additional surface layers, for example through stitch or print, that can make the difference between being satisfied with the results and the feeling that my original design has been re-born in felt.
By Andrea Diggle