Felting is Janice’s passion – no day is better than a day spent felting in her sun room studio on Lac du Bonnet in Manitoba. Felting is not the limit of her explorations in fibre – she spins art yarn to use on garments and to make “Neck Embracers”, she weaves, she knits and she sews. But nothing holds a candle to felting in her pursuit of creativity!

In the last few years she has branched out to felt various breeds together to incorporate even more texture into what is already a texture based art form. Using a drum carder, she blends various natural fibres to create unique patterns used to make capes and vests. Wearable works of art!

Working with fibre has been part of her life for the last 12 years, ever since a cancer episode led her, by necessity, into a world of creativity. A bald head in the winter in Manitoba needs a hat! And a hat during cancer treatments needs to be a fabulous hat!! Everything that followed is what Janice refers to, tongue in cheek, as the silver lining in the whole episode. Coincidentally, her hair grew back in a beautiful silver shade – the other silver lining!

Working in fibre gives Janice much joy! She is primarily a wet felter – using the process of adding warm soapy water, friction and heat to coax wool fibres into felting with themselves, or with silk fabric. The same basic principles allow her to create hats, scarves, handbags, felted lampshades and garments from wool and silk. Using silk fusion techniques, she creates clutch handbags and lanterns from wispy fine silk fibres. Living on Lake Lac du Bonnet for 7 months of the year and on Vancouver Island for the winters offers much variation in light and beauty – much of which works its way into her work. Colour is everything to Janice – she struggles to accommodate those who want to live in earth tones.

The ever evolving art of blending colour and texture in fibre blends, means that each year there are new and different products to be found in the Flights of Fibre display.  Don’t miss visiting her during this Boreal Shores Art Tour!

Website: Flights of Fibre

Facebook: Flights of Fibre