About Liz Haley
Needle and wet felting came to me purely by accident, when a new friend taught me the basics. I fell in love! This is the first art form ever that spoke to me and allowed me to express myself in wonderfully, creative ways.
The process of needle and wet felting begins with raw, dyed wool. The wool can be from sheep, llamas, alpacas, goats, or rabbits. I only use American processed wool. For sheen and other various effects, I incorporate sari silk, viscose, bamboo, and silk hankies.
The layout starts with a base of pre-felted felt which gives the work a softness that allows me to incorporate other wools into the piece. After I arrange the background colors on the pre-felted felt, I then saturate the entire piece with warm soapy water. After that, the work is tightly rolled in bubble wrap and towels, then rolled in different directions 80 to 100 times. This procedure allows the wool to felt together making a solid canvas. Once dry; I use different size felting needles to blend the colors to create detailed texture and layers that result in the final creation. These processes can take several days to weeks to complete.
Felting from the Heart by Liz was founded after I realized that I was creating art with the wool-when I needle and wet felt either 2D wall hangings or 3D critters. Since that time, I have been juried in at Tamarack in Beckley, WV; have had several exhibits there, was chosen for Emerging Artists Exhibit at The WV Culture Center in 2022, and currently have been chosen for the Best of WV Exhibit at Tamarack in 2023.
Biography
I create needle and wet felt art. I grew up a coal miner’s daughter in a holler called Robinhood, WV. Forests, trees and roads to nowhere were my sanctuary. My MawMaw was a Healer, and taught me what plant life I could eat, mushrooms that were safe to eat, ones that weren’t, and what tree bark could be made into tea to cure pain or other miseries. Tree limbs could be made into whistles, fishing poles, bows and arrows and cars. I could sit on the roots of the extraordinarily huge poplar tree and fish. I would escape out into the woods, knowing that I would have everything I needed-shelter, food, and fresh, safe water to drink. The forests were my playground, my classroom and my life.As a resident of West Virginia; I am fortunate enough to live in a beautiful state with abundant forests as my playground. Today, when the world is heavy on my shoulders, I can still escape into the woods; let go, recharge and heal through the art of needle and wet felting. I have had the honor of becoming an Emerging Artist with the WV Culture and Arts Center in 2022, had an exhibit at the Generl Lewis Inn in 2023, taught needle felting through Arrowmont in 2023 with ArtReach on the Road, and was accepted into Tamarack ‘s Best of WV in 2023 (I was in the top 20!).
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Other Creative Skills
Folk/Traditional Crafts and Visual Arts
