Artwork

In this scene of the felted flock recently shared on social media platforms it was the Magpie that caught all the attention. The bird resonated with sheep producers and stirred a common exclamation of familiarity and awe. And that has me wondering why.

One little magpie. A familiarity of the scene. One little magpie brings the relevance of this project to light, becomes the link that connects sheep producers to the real life aim of this project. One little magpie connects onlookers to the real life community of animals wool comes from.

Magpies gliding over herds of livestock, lighting on the back of ewes, watching for morsels of dog food, playing with fate as it tries to steal, lighting on a body after a death, picking at bones. For North Americans living a land and livestock life the magpie is the ever present travel companion, giving both annoyance and comfort. The magpie is every place, every season; the magpie sees all. The magpie knows what the shepherd sees day in and day out. We’ve all watched the magpies and we’ve all been watched by them. If the magpie shared our verbal language what stories would it tell us and tell others?

Magpie. A symbol of relevance and of familiarity and connection in a land and livestock life. A reminder to tread lightly and show respect, there is a Magpie watching.

Artwork and agriculture are not so different, particularly when we are intentional about what we are creating and when what we are creating bears relevance to our Selves.

I don’t know what prompted me to stand the little felted ewe in front of this painting but upon doing so it presented a visual statement of how much art and agriculture are alike and what art and agriculture can mean when we are intentional about what we are creating. When we care enough to put our heart into it.

And when what we are creating bears relevance to our Self a healthy amount of good goes out into the world with it. What we have created, be it art or agriculture, resonates with others and a peculiar type of magic happens that extends beyond ourselves. I think agriculture could use a little bit of that good and a little bit of that magic.

The painting is by Canadian artist Dawn Banning. I am positively thrilled it hangs in our home. You can find more of Dawn’s artwork and her insights on the impact of artwork in our lives on her blog at Dawn’s Originals.

Wool, a natural fibre of sheep which can be harvested and processed into useful material with just a few simple tools if need be. A farmer’s fibre, produced wherever sheep are found, making wool a resource that can be found and utilized around the globe. And while wool is certainly special in its characteristics of warmth, durability, and usefulness, wool is not a specialty item that only a wealthy few can access.

The various uses of wool spans across industries and interests, from automotive, to garden, to high end fashion, to home decor, to the socks on your feet, to the sweater in your hand, to the bird nest in your backyard. As more and more people seek out natural and renewable means to clothe and decorate their lives with wool continues to rise to the occasion.

The more I work with wool the more privileged I feel to be utilizing a resource that is grown here, a resource I have a direct hand in, in more ways than one. Working with wool gives a greater sense of completion to raising sheep.

The learning curve of sculpting with wool is high and long but despite the frustrations it is the activity I retreat to in my downtime. An activity that holds my interest longer than television or internet or eating.

Progress on The Felted Flock is chugging along. I make two or three felted sheep, try my hand at a guardian dog or a kelpie, figure out how to photograph (which is a feat in itself), and repeat. The project does not yet feel repetitive though. I am eager to see the project reach 50 head – I think somewhere around 50 head will be a magic number of sorts, where it looks substantial enough to get excited about yet still has a long way to go to before completion. I have never raised livestock in an intensive fashion but I am feeling a bit intensive about this project; wanting it to grow in number faster than it can.

Updates about the felted flock on Instagram often net a few inquiries about what is for sale. While the sheep members of The Felted Flock are not being offered for sale until the conclusion of the project, a select few of the felted dogs are being offered for sale, which allows me to garner a little artistic income during the project. This project and the interest in it leads to deciphering the ins and outs of setting up an online shop online and finding physical, local market locations. Navigating these logistics is taking a bit of doing. Meanwhile, if you take a fancy to one of these guardians, please feel free to email for more information.