Into the forest Painting

Innovatief, straight lines, modernism and colour sequence. These are all words that describe my contemporary felt art, which I market under the name: Feltgood by Ellen van der Wiel. Inspiration and artist statement Most important source of inspiration for my art is nature, which I photograph a lot, especially with the approach how light, shadow, rhythms and lines play a part. I’m also much inspired by the abstract patterns of (textile) artists of Bauhaus (Anni Albers), Dutch Modernism and Japanese design. However organic the base material felt may be, I express myself through abstraction by playing with lines, rhythm, colour, contrast and transition. These elements are part of my signature. In my art I create my own world in all sort of compositions, like music. I interpret nature in patterns, in which I visualise how light is captured and graphic forms and color blend into each other. I put depth and vibration in my art, beside order and harmony, giving people a lot to associate when they look at my felt paintings. Some of my abstract work are expressionist, other work more geometrically. Seeing my work, people often don’t understand how my dessins are technically made or think that I apply paint to the felt, but I actually 'paint in abstraction with wool’. New look I produce the material myself. With my background as a costume designer it was a great discovery that the technic felting gave me the opportunity to create my own material to work with as an artist, non woven and made of wool. From the beginning it was, and still is, my goal to innovate the use of felt and to approach a new look of the material. Therefore I work with a felting machine for the process of felting, which makes my felt more sleek and smooth and contributes to a modern look. The fact that felt can be cut without the fray, the sewing machine became also a part of the proces in creating my art. Design process I produce felt by felting layers of merino wool - sometimes mixed with tussah silk, flax and bamboo. The felting process produces smooth, compact and thin materials, which I cut into strips and re-arranged like a puzzle into a abstract pattern. The final design is sewn together and stretched on a frame. Sometimes the seems are shown on the front, giving structure and patterns created by the layers of wool. The dessin of "Into the forest" is inspired by nature and the variety of green colours within it. The painting has a wire a the backside for hanging.