a day in an artists life....: new art to share....

felt art by - patty benson of papaver vert

i thought i'd feature artists and their works that i come across over the next month.... holiday shopping has been on my mind.... searching for the perfect gifts and handmade pieces, of course... be sure to check the different artists in the left column for wonderful works that are offered and that i recommend from the past... and remember, with fall starting up and holidays right around the corner these artists can easily be sold out rather quickly.... so give them a call...

i don't know how many of you are familiar with the site, etsy.com - i love this site, and love surfing looking for unusual art, home decor and jewelry... many of the wonderful pieces are being made by artists that are also working full time, until they can make it on their own as an artist.... many show on the festival circuits, setting up their wares, rain or shine, and many, like i had, can be found at their kitchen table creating their crafts while their children sleep....

it's a good feeling to be able to help support these artists, their dreams and their families, and to perhaps give them the boost, that every artist needs, and to show them that their work is loved and appreciated.... so hats off to etsy for getting this site out to the masses....

patty benson (aka papaver vert), is from the west coast and has always been a designer of sorts... from making barbie clothes at the age of 6, and admittedly always forgetting to leave an opening for barbie to get into... to painting and drawing her way through school, knowing from a young age that she wanted to create and share her creations... she creates a natural and modern line of hand felted decorative pillows and accessories for the home.... i crave her bowls and vases.... wonderful to give as a gift or to have for oneself....

using an old-world technique to create a natural and modern line of hand felted decorative pillows and accessories for the home, Papaver Vert means Green Poppy in Latin and French. as of yet, no green poppies exist making this a rare thing indeed. this could be seen as the basis of Papaver Vert. Each pillow is hand made from scratch using the ancient and labor-intensive craftsmanship of hand felting wool from its semi-raw form.

the pillows are made from 100% merino wool, which makes them not only luxuriously soft but a renewable and eco-friendly material. the felt making process is a laborious one that creates a truly unique piece of art, making each one of her pillows slightly different from the next.

about the Wool Bowls - The felted bowls are made in a different way than the pillows. They are first hand crocheted using either 100% wool or 85/15 wool/mohair yarn, then wet-felted through several wash cycles, dried around molds and finally steam blocked. I am very happy to say that the yarn used for her felted wool/mohair bowls is processed and dyed in the U.S from sheep raised in the U.S, now that's pretty neat.

hand crocheted with 85/15 wool/mohair blend in a mix of heathered browns and greens, these single bowls were wet felted, dried around a mold to create their shapes and then steam blocked... before they are wet felted, the crocheted bowls are waaaayyyyy larger in shape but the process of felting them causes them to shrink into a tight, sturdy, felted fabric...

patty's process, in itself, is so fascinating.... painstakingly time consuming and the finished piece is.... well, beyond words... her colors are wonderful, you have so many to choose from and she happily can meet your custom order needs....