Deborah Hebert <p id="yui_3_16_0_1_1455754946170_5164"><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1455754946170_5549">I’m a fiber artist living in Eugene, Oregon.  </span><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1455754946170_5537">I’m inspired by the natural world and especially enjoy the colorful, scenic vistas that Oregon has to offer. Some of my felted landscapes are imagined from personal photographs taken at the tide pools, forests, lakes, sky and right here in Eugene.</span></p> <p id="yui_3_16_0_1_1455754946170_5539"><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1455754946170_5540">The paintings are created by combining two types of felting – wet felting and needle felting. First the canvas is made with layers of wool, and with water and agitation it quickly forms a thick pad. Once dry I needle felt wools and yarns using sharp barbed felting needles. Repeated poking with the needle meshes the fibers together forming the textured felt.</span></p> I like using fresh, raw fleece from our local Oregon farms.  My process begins with a wash in hot, soapy water to remove lanolin from the sheep wool and to remove dirt from alpaca fiber. I then hand-dye in small batches. Some fiber is spun into yarn that is used in the painting and there might be a little silk and some bobbles sewn in. <span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1455754946170_5558">A rough sketch is made on paper. The wool speaks to me as the landscape develops sometimes taking a new direction and not being what I had penciled onto the plan.  </span>[/vc_column_text][vc_masonry_media_grid element_width="3" grid_id="vc_gid:1516386599353-2b4c3628-466c-4" include="2475,2476,2477,2478,2479"]