Technique

How do I create my pictures?

A picture consists of super-fine layers. The main instrument is my hands, fingers more precisely.

I work with super-fine (16-18micron) high-quality wool. Mainly, this is Australian and New Zealand merino wool. The palette includes hundreds of shades.

At first, strands are formed. Then they are used as paints of a palette when I "draw" the picture.

I take a small piece from a strand and put it on place. Essentially, it looks the same as a brushstroke. And thus, step by step, I slowly form layers of the picture.

Wool is a very forgiving material. If a mistake has been made it can easily be corrected. Pretty much the same as with oil painting.

There are many ways of how and which wool strands to use to achieve a desirable effect. For example, a strand can be well-formed and directed or it can be like a light semi-transparent cloud.

It is important to realize that wool is not fixed as if it would be with felting. Instead, it is freely laid down layer by layer. When a picture has been made, it is covered by glass and fixed within a frame.

This technique allows to work within different styles: watercolor, pastel, charcoal or oil painting. Everything is limited by imagination only.

For example, you can see the effects of charcoal drawing here.