Michelle Johnson

Contemporary felt art

My fiber art journey began in earnest at the Kansas City Art Institute. As I walked by the fiber studio daily to attend my foundation classes I became intrigued by the brief glimpses of color, texture and patterning. Serendipity? Yes, and after 30 years I’m still deeply committed.

Hand created felt has been my focus since I took a ‘I wonder what this is’ one day workshop in 2004. I fell head over heels in wooly fluff. What is felt? Wool, water and oomph. It’s a marriage of materials with wool fibers. With patience the rubbing and rolling process allows the wool fibers to migrate through other materials, which could be silk, cotton or a number of other plant fibers to become permanently fused. It’s such a wonderfully malleable medium. I can create a garment that is featherweight and fluid or a vessel that is sturdy and quite strong. Such diversity!