Paivi Suomi

About Paivi Suomi

My work is influenced by my Finnish and Saami heritage and the colours of the world around me are the inspiration to create my art with wool. I am fascinated by the ancient arts of felt making and handweaving converting raw wool into contemporary tapestries. I hand dye most of my wools, yarns and silk fibres and use locally sourced wools wherever possible. These become the paints that create my canvas. From an early age, the world of textiles has been my passion. I studied hand weaving, hand spinning, felt making and colour theory at Kootenay School of the Arts, under the tutorship of Judith MacKenzie. I currently make and sell limited edition hand spun yarns. More recently I have turned my attention to the art of felt making and weaving rya rugs, creating pictures and functional objects with wool.