Painting with Wool Fibers

I've started another of my Indian portraits in my First Nations series.

I don't know how I stayed away from it so long. Needlefelting is so soothing and calming. Pulling bits of wool fiber, combing together colors until I find just the right tone. Stabbing it relentlessly until I finally have formed the picture I wished to portray. It is a forgiving and is easy to manipulate.

I am choosing to do this one in black and white.. perhaps a bit of sepia just here and there.... like how a photo will age and the edges turn brown as the years pass. Plus my wool is not strictly pure shades of black, grey and white.

If any of you Wallowians have wool from your flocks or even know of anyone who shears I can always use new kinds and colors from different breeds in my work. I work with all sorts of wool from goats, rabbits, sheep and fibers from nature like cotton, silk, soybean.

The house buying is going... the previous owners (slobs) have moved out and we are beginning inspections. So far it looks OK at best... it is completely filthy and smelly. Smashed in vents, a smashed in door, dart holes all over a wall, dog crap all over the concrete . They just did not clean up after themselves ever since we made an offer a month and a half ago, I don't understand people. Also just seeing how dirty they lived leaves me to wonder if they always lived like that ... did they take care of the house this poorly all along?

Happy felting

Cytel

The home buying battle is nearly won!

Nearly and almost... but not quite. I have faith that it will be done by mid March and we will be moved in by April. YAY!!

In the meantime I decided to get over myself a little and make another wool painting. This one is indulgent and fanciful, I love it. It will be available in my Etsy shop when I am completely happy with all the little details.

My next picture is already on the table, it is a black and white American Indian portrait.

I did not fall off the face of the planet.

But It felt like it.

I have not been around the web much lately nor have my creative juices been flowing. I have been stressed to the max trying to buy a house. The stress of waiting to find out what various banks and lenders think has turned my eyebrows white ( which I plucked immediately) and my hair is greying at an alarming rate.

You would think that buying a house would not be to difficult with the housing market in complete shambles and empty houses on every street I walk dawn. Wrong, lenders don't seem to want to deal with the self employed. I thought I was part of the American backbone, a small business owner ... Our problem seems to be we earned to much money last year and it is worrisome for the lender...? Is it really a strange thing that my upholstery business has flourished in this harsh economy? I after all fix and repair what people used to throw away and buy new.... Now they cannot afford to be so wasteful and I am making a good living.

I just want to buy my own house not my landlords.

Anyhow, this is the stress that is causing me to age, to disappear and that has stolen my creative energy.

I am willing myself to no longer dwell on it, I have gotten out my wool and my paints, maybe something beautiful will come of this.