Blog-free Week

 

Fall Splendor, wool and embroidery thread, 11.75” x 9”, CAN $400

I wish you a wonderful start to October. In the Ottawa region, the trees are turning more colourful every day. However, the nights are cold, and while the sun is still warm, the air feels cool. It is the perfect weather for hiking, sightseeing and painting en plein air.

As the days are getting shorter, it is time to think about fall activities. I extend my invitation to you to learn needle felting in my four-week virtual workshop that starts on November 6, 2021.
To take advantage of the early bird price, register by October 1, 2021, at midnight. 

 

To help you make your decision, here are some answers to questions that I received during the past weeks.

1) Do I need any felting or other needlework experience?

The workshop is for beginners. If you have already needle felted, you can still join us. I will give you some options to challenge you.

During each session, you will :

- learn needle felting basics

- be guided in the creation of the projects

This workshop is for you if you:

- want to learn how to needle felt

- enjoy learning in a small group

2) Are you intrigued but are allergic to wool?

I have ordered some new materials that I will test over the next couple of weeks. However, for most people, an acrylic or nylon blend with a small percentage of wool does work well. 

3) Creating three projects seems a lot. Will I be able to finish the projects by myself if I cannot finish them in class?

 
The technique for all three projects is the same. You can ask questions in the private Facebook group or by email if you need help. As a bonus, you will also receive a 30-minute private Zoom session at any point during or after the workshop.

Do you have any other questions? You can reach me by email at info@KerstinPeters.ca. 

 

Are you ready to register? Here is the link: https://www.kerstinpeters.ca/product/felting-experience/.

What is Needle Felting?

 

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If you have followed my career, my focus has shifted during the last couple of months. I still love painting in my studio and outside. However, at the moment, I concentrate on creating needle felted paintings. I will also simplify my teaching schedule to offer more workshops to teach others how to create their own. Felting is a slow process and requires patience. It is a reflection of a change of pace that I wanted for my life that was very busy and hectic. I am drawn to the softness of the material and love the challenge of creating my vision in wool. I can sit down and felt for a couple of minutes or hours without worrying about drying paints or cleanup of brushes.


You might be wondering what needle felting is and how you can use it to create artworks. In the next couple of blogs, I will provide more information about felting. I will focus on needle felting.


Before I describe the process of needle felting to you, here is a list of basic materials you need for getting started:


To create a felted artwork, most people use wool rovings and battings. You can also find many vegan-friendly materials that I will examine in the upcoming weeks because some of my clients have an allergy to wool but would still like to participate in my felting workshops.


Felting needles have tiny barbs at the end. When you stab the needle through the wool roving or batting, the barbs catch on the fibre scales and push them together so that the fibres cling together, turning into solid felt in the process.


Felting needles come in different gauges and differences in the location and number of barbs. The gauge number refers to the diameter of the needle. The higher the number, the finer the needle. For most projects, a medium (36 gauge) and a fine (40 gauge) needle are sufficient. The number of barbs influences the speed of felting. A higher number helps you to felt quicker. However, needles with fewer barbs are more suitable for fine detail work. For big pieces, you can also use a needle holder that can hold several needles at a time.


To avoid poking yourself, you need an old cushion or foam pad that should be a couple of inches thick so that the needle cannot poke through.


Needle felting makes it possible to create two- and three-dimensional artworks. Three-dimensional pieces are sculptures of various subjects. Two-dimensional artworks are called needle felted paintings, even though you don’t use any brush or paint to create them. If you would like to learn more, join me again in two weeks. I will show you the step-by-step process for a little felted painting.

If you are interested in registering for the November workshop, you will receive a CAN $40 discount if you register by October 1, 2021. Here is the link for more information and registration: https://www.kerstinpeters.ca/product/felting-experience/.

Blog-free Week

 

Escape to the Country, acrylic, 9" x 12", CAN $300

 

 

Usually, at this time of the year, I post about recent painting trips. Unfortunately, my friends and I will have to wait another year to travel together. Hopefully, we will manage to meet for a couple of plein air outings in the Ottawa area. Fall is such a picturesque time to paint outside. I love the warm colours of the fall landscape.
 
If you want to bring nature into your home, you can purchase the above painting and many others on my website www.KerstinPeters.ca. If you need more information, you can contact me at info@KerstinPeters.ca.

Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy some time in nature!

Make Time to Play

Blog 29



This morning, I went through ideas for my new blog and decided to write about the need to play and explore your creativity.


During the last 18 months, I have contemplated my priorities and what I want to invite into my life. I have decided what I am no longer tolerating. While I still have worked a lot, I picked what I wanted to do and what was not worth my time anymore. The older I get, the more I realize who precious time is.


This morning, when I picked the next meditation session on my playlist, it aligned perfectly with my idea for my blog. Isn’t it miraculous how these things work out? I listened to a meditation session by Deepak Chopra and Oprah Winfrey. The the centering thought was, “I play. I create. I succeed.”


Most of us have busy schedules with long to-do lists and commitments. We create our own share of busyness by filling every minute with things to do. I am guilty of this too, and always have to stop myself when I feel like in a hamster wheel.


Luckily, I have a strong urge to express myself through art. Whenever I get a chance, I pick up pencils or my felting materials. You are probably wondering why I don’t mention brushes and paints. Truthfully, I have not spent much time painting during the past 18 months, except for my online meeting with friends or clients. It has due partly because I could not meet my friends to go painting en plein air for a long time, but it also reflected my changes at home. First, our 15-year-old dog, Alex, was too attached to me, so that I did not want to be away from him. Then, a new puppy required a lot of our attention. It is easy to put down a pencil or my felting needle but not as convenient with brushes, especially with fast-drying acrylic paints.

unfinished

I am sure I will return to painting at some point. Nature is too fascinating not to capture. Last weekend, I spent three hours outside painting the only sunflower on our property. It felt fantastic to feel the sun and listen to the leaves rustle in the light wind.


At the end of the month, I will attempt something new. Since I gave a workshop to a group of rug hookers in June, I have been fascinated by the possibilities of combining rug hooking and needle felting. This fall, I will learn rug hooking. I still have tons of wool in my studio from my internship in the wool factory, Schachenmayr. I already knitted so many sweaters that I ran out of closet space. Now, I hope that I can use some of the wool for rug hooking projects. I am excited to learn something new and to extend my skills.


Now back to Deepak Chopra’s thought, “I play. I create. I succeed.” Unfortunately, many people think about picking up a creative hobby but don’t make it a priority. I often hear that they want to start when they retire.


In a world that is very competitive, we often forget to play for pure enjoyment. We get obsessed with the final perfect outcome and miss out on enjoying the process of creating. However, if you start exploring, you will forget everything around you. Your creativity starts expanding, and you will get lots of ideas for all areas of your life. You will feel invigorated and relaxed at the same time.

I encourage you to pick up a new creative hobby this fall. Let me know what you will start. Pick up a pencil, a brush, or any other tool you need. Maybe, what you create will not meet your expectations. We are all unique, and you should consider your art as your unique creation. It does not matter if anyone else enjoys it as long as it brings you joy. In the beginning, you might feel discouraged because what you envisioned did not materialize. However, if you continue, you will succeed in finding a medium and technique that suits you. If you want some support, I invite you to check out my fall workshops. My four-week workshop Unleash Your Creativity starts on Sunday, September 12, 2021, and my felting workshop in November (on sale for $200 until October 1, 2021). For more information, please go to my website www.KerstinPeters.ca.