Artwork

Prairie Sheep Collection

needle felted wool sheep, prairie sheep collection

I have a number of felted sheep that stayed with me when the main collection of the Felted Flock sold. It didn’t seem right to relegate these remainders to storage, not to be seen again, and because they were part of such a creative and expansive project before, in my mind, they needed a re-touch, they needed to become something other than remainders of the felted flock. So I decided to re-create them in a manner that is reflective of the place that stirred the whole project to begin with – the prairie.

The Prairie Sheep Collection includes needle felted ewes in colors reflective of each prairie season: Winter’s Touch, Spring’s Bloom, Summer’s Rise and Autumn’s Calm. And for the traditional, I’ll make a few white sheep and black sheep available as well. And just like the real sheep, no two are alike.

This first group is now at the Saskatchewan Craft Council Boutique in Saskatoon and I’ve made a good start on the second group. I’ll continue adding new sheep to the collection. There is a limited number of these.

Once the staff at the Craft Council has entered them into the store inventory they will be available for purchase. Purchases can be made via the Craft Council, in person, or through their online store. An alternate purchase option is buying ones from the next set directly through me via the form on my about page. These are available individually for $135 each (CDN funds), or in a small flock of your choosing. I can offer a discount on sets of three or more when a purchase is made through me (discount is not available through Craft Council).

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Glad to See Summer Go

watercolor sketch of two dogsI may be the only person who is glad to know that Summer is behind us and Fall is in full swing. Summer is my least favourite season.
She gets an unfair knock from me though because she heightens my struggle between artwork and ranch work. She heightens my resistance to doing artwork and throws in an extra dose of guilt whenever I’m not outdoors getting something done.

Any artwork accomplished in the summer is hard fought. I’ve been letting myself swing between felting and painting and not worrying which should be a priority because if I’m in the studio it’s a win. I’ve taken a dive into water color painting as something new to learn and be challenged with, and because I know I want to do something similar to drawing again. I am intrigued with watercolor painting even with all the beginner struggles I am having, particularly with painting white subjects like sheep and guardian dogs. And doing paintings outside of the sketchbook, which the one below is, is still very novel and tentative.

watercolor practice

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Sale of The Felted Flock

I am not sure I really believed the Felted Flock would sell but I did hope for that outcome. Now that outcome has become reality, and I feel many things, including amazement and a good dollop of pride.

The Felted Flock is a collection of needle felted sheep and other animals who hang around them and/or are needed by them. The general intention behind creating was to share the voluminous story of growing wool and to highlight where fibre comes from. It was a two year art project that I finished December 2022.

Here’s the scoop on the sale. Earlier this year I was approached by an employee from SK Arts and after several back and forth exchanges Sask Arts made an offer to purchase half of the number of felted sheep along with every supporting character – so the guardians dogs, the stock dog, the fox, the coyote, the shearers, the shepherd, the crows, the magpies, and the wee cowbird. The new home for this downsized version of the felted flock is the Permanent Art Collection of Saskatchewan.

This sale means that the felted flock collection is archived and inventoried in an art collective, and when it’s not being shown it is held in storage by an organization with that capability. It took me about a week to decide on the sale and while there were a few terms and conditions to be navigated it felt right the whole way through and the process was rather seamless. The first showing of the flock is planned for this summer/fall in Regina, SK.  And because it resides in the permanent art collection, the Felted Flock is also available for any provincial gallery to rent for exhibition, and vignettes are available to be used as part of group shows.

Upon hearing the news friends have asked if it was hard to sell and the answer is yes and no. It was exciting to make the sale; a sale such as this is an amazing opportunity and nearly every artist’s dream. What was hard was letting go of my vision for the felted flock and allowing a new vision to reside in someone else’s hands. Because from here on, where and how the collection is set up and shown is in someone else hands. That is still hard and may always be hard, I don’t know. But I am eased with having the felted sheep that did not go with the collection to now do with as I please. And since these are no longer part of the felted flock I feel free to give them a new creative outlook. And so that is what I am doing. I am giving them a new look and making them into the prairie sheep collective. A couple of these are already on display at the Watrous Art Gallery and more will most likely head off to an art boutique in Saskatoon. I’ll share their makeover here on the blog as well so stay tuned.

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