Vicki Bennett, feltmaker

To start with raw animal fiber and move it through the centuries old techniques of felting it into a piece of wearable art or a vessel with colors that mimic nature is a real joy for me. Oftentimes the process begins right in a barn where I choose the sheepʼs wool and then the process begins. Preparing the wool, working with a myriad of textures and colors and feeling the fibers turn to felt, step by step, is both ethereal and earthy at the same time. The ancient process of felting the wool, opening the cuticles of the fiber with warm water and soap that changes the PH, agitating it, both more and less, until it comes together as a piece of cloth- this is a process that never ceases to please me. It also often surprises me and that is part of the fun and the challenge of working with felt. The addition of other protein fibers and bits and pieces of man made fibers allows me to design the surface artistically and manipulate the texture of my work. I enjoy creating and teaching both nuno or laminated felting in the form of wearable or table art and fabric for interior design applications as well as 3-dimensional vessel felting. I like the extremes of the elbow-grease feltmaking required for sturdy pieces versus the delicate touch required for cobweb felt and felting on silk or scrim. 

I live part of the year in Asheville, NC, where I teach feltmaking and work the garden of our mountain home and I live the rest of the year in St. Petersburg where I teach at the Morean Arts Center and other community venues. I exhibit and sell my craft at Florida Craftsmen Gallery. When I'm not tangled up with wool, I work with raptors in permanent rehabilitation, caring for and educating the public about them.

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