“Stir the pot”

£500.00

Materials: Selection of wool – Perendale, Welsh, Jacob, Marino, Polworth, (Bamboo)

Dimensions: 40cm x 35cm

 

My natural reaction when working with wool is to form and shape, and I am naturally drawn to the challenge of creating three-dimensional forms. The physicality of my work begins with a sensory dialogue between wool and my hands.

Here I am inspired to tease out a tangible structure, a structure that can support its weight. Next comes the process – the interaction of water, heat, and friction – a symbiotic – where I observe the sensory reactions happening between these elements and wool. These reactions are necessary in varying degrees with wool fiber to achieve the desired result of a successful wool felt. During this process the layering of fibers enables me to build in painterly surfaces and textures, transforming the single fiber into a tangible and structured form, a form that maintains a deep connection to its influential factor and the fiber’s ancient origins with a contemporary twist.

When creating ‘Stir the Pot,’ my objective was to explore my passion for symbiotic relationships in nature and create a hollow form that showcased the transitional connection between my ceramic and textile background. I wanted to illustrate the reactionary part of my inspiration and process through a three-dimensional form. To visually emphasize the mutually beneficial interaction taking place, I deliberately opted for a black-and-white fiber palette and used the reactionary techniques of wet felting, needle felting, and weaving to construct the form.

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Artist Bio

Pennie Metcalfe, also known as PenOfM artist, is a fiber and textile artist based in Co Antrim. With a background in fashion and ceramics, she obtained a Fine Art Degree from Derby University in 1997. Pennie spent over two decades working in art education, as Ceramics tutor at Harrogate College, special education, and psychiatry. She is a strong advocate for the importance of craft skills, art and the ‘creative act’ for education, cultural understanding and mental wellbeing.

In 2021 Pennie returned to her own art practice and began practising professionally in 2022. She specialises in using wool and other natural fibers to create textiles and fiber sculptures through the ancient techniques of; wet felting, shibori and weaving. Her work is inspired by many themes associated with the natural environment of ancient moorlands and coasts, with a particular interest in geology and symbiotic relationships, where she aims to create a seamless unity between the subject matter, environmental influence, and the core material used.

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