Jan Matthews

I live four miles from Ross on Wye on the very edge of the Forest of Dean - having moved here from Australia in 1988. I have been making felt and creating felted art for almost three years and it has gradually taken over my life! It is very addictive and a most enjoyable art form!

I use the wet and dry felting techniques to create 2D wool paintings, predominantly landscapes and houses and also 3D pieces such as hats, scarves, made to measure wool boots, figures and animals to name but a few.

Wet felting is a method of combining pure wools and other natural fibres such as silks, flax, hemp, cotton and some synthetic fibres to create wool paintings. Fibre, warm water and olive oil soap are used along with lots of elbow grease to combine the fibres to create felted fabric. Dry felting is a method whereby a barbed felting needle is used to lock these fibres together and I use this to add detail to the wet felted pictures and to form and shape the 3Dfigures.