Only needle and wool are used in NEEDLE FELTING. Wool has lepidic surface in fine structure and fibers are entangled to a solid form by repeatedly piercing (felting). Making good use of this property, various articles come from just hair. Though it has passed 10 years since I entered the world of NEEDLE FELTING, I still get new findings every day, such as color cordination, how to create feeling of a material, etc.
Colored felt materials can be obtained at ordinary art shops quite easily. A needle can also be obtained at less than Yen500. Everyone can get materials, but not everone can make them finish as an art work. It is necessary to have the technique and experience so as to materialize the image of finish drawn in the head, and a strong will to finalize and patience are also necessitated at the same time. It takes half to 1 year to finalize a large scale article to be displayed at exhibitions. I make a solid form of wool by piercing repeatedly one by one for such a long time with an aim to get a final form.
My art works mostly feature syhthetic beast from combination of a human being and an animal. The art work displayed at "GENTEN" (Renowned Contemporary Art Exhibition) in The National Art Center, Roppongi, Tokyo in 2013 was a synthetic beast of a human being and a lion (sphinx). The one displayed in the previous year was brothers of synthetic beast of a human being and a goat (fawn). The brothers were actually based on my sons.
Reality is very important to form a human being. We have a strong desire for something to actually exist in the world. The desire is expressed in detail as a feeling of material especially on the skin, eyes, etc. as if the art looked like a real human being. I am particular about the back passage. Even though it is a doll, as a matter of course, it should have the back passage because it has the mouth. Though I may be particular about too much, only this is nonnegotiable as long as the article is based on a human being and people can accept as a featuring point of my art works.
Thankfully I have increasing opportunities of felting extracurricular lessons at elementary schools and at children circles. Needle felting involves merely piercing the mass of wool with a needle. Even children can make a challenge if they handle needles with care. It holds a fascination because the work level is not so high. It stimuletes emotion of children because of varieties of colors. Speaking of only yellow, it has many different types. There are some who appeal pain when they get their finger stuck with a needle. However they continue piercing needle with a high tension when they see articles being formed. It takes about 2 hours for beginners to get works finished which I can do in 15 minutes. They do not stop working before they are persuaded by themselves.
Children sometimes request me to make a small doll. However, I just teach how to make it. I just assist them in their making by themselves. If they make it by themselves, they grow attache to it. It is quite enough to help their heart to make things. If they want to make a dragon, I have the children combine a lizard and a bat and have them try to get an image. Believing their sense, I get inspiration, too.
FELT ARTIST
She was attracted by potentiality of felting art. Set foot into the world of NEEDLE FELTING and enjoys a good reputation for her own distinctive work style seeking reality. Her unique and creative works are displayed at "GENTEN" (Renowed Contemporary Art Exhibition) held in The National Art Center, Tokyo every year. She teaches an attraction of needle felting at her own work shop and in the extracurricular lesson at an Elementary School.
