4 minute read
ARTIST: Lacey Roberts
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11 Understated natural wood cabinetry in muted tones offers the ideal base for extra-thick engineered stone countertops in a luminous beige, with a travertine backsplash. Whimsical pendant lighting offers exceptional form and function with a surprisingly delicate touch, while wood accents on the trey ceiling tie everything together and floor-to-ceiling windows permit natural light to flood the space. Photo courtesy of Shar Nobilia.
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ARTIST
Whimsy inWool Whimsy inWool
By Heather N. Russell-Simmons
Photos Courtesy of Lacey Roberts
Lacey Roberts did not know that good artists were made through motivation and practice; and that misconception delayed her own start as an artist. “I was always interested in art, but I didn’t know if I had the talent,” she said. Eventually, a simple sale on art supplies was all the incentive she needed. “There was an acrylic art kit for beginners with canvas panels and everything else I needed to get started.” Roberts decided to experiment with the medium on a whim. “Let’s do it!” she recalled of the decision.
“My loved ones gave me so much encouragement,” Roberts said of her first year painting. “I thought, ‘Maybe I am good enough to do this!’” When Roberts was ready, she launched her online fine art business, The Painted Lace. With her confidence and success painting, and the birth of her first child, Roberts began exploring other creative mediums. Part of that exploration was out of necessity. With a young child, Roberts needed something easier and quicker to clean up than acrylics. She wanted more flexibility than painting would allow, something that would let her spend time with family while also creating art. “I can’t paint in an armchair,” she pointed out.
“I kept seeing these cute little fuzzy creatures on Etsy,” Roberts said. “I had no idea what they were, but I knew I could make them.” That certainty led to online research where Roberts first learned about felting wool, a process that combines loose fibers, like wool, to produce a textile or fabric. For felting, Roberts works with wool that has been cleaned, combed and dyed.
1 “Together, these cactus pin cushions look like they are exchanging secrets,” said Roberts.
Although she has since developed her own techniques and style, YouTube videos by Sarafina Fiber Art were fundamental to Roberts’ understanding of felting. Those tutorials made Roberts, the mother of two young children, comfortable enough to leave the studio where she paints. “Felting is portable, so I gather my wool and needles and then my workspace is wherever my family is.”
When felting, Roberts uses barbed needles to poke the wool. Aided by the barbs, scales on the wool fibers lock together. That locking tightens and firms the wool, allowing Roberts to sculpt her creations. Different results come from different needle gages and shapes that snag the wool with different intensity. For example, Roberts explained that a large star-shaped needle will grab more wool and is good for the initial sculpting while a thin spiral-shaped needle is better for small details. Roberts uses a blend of wools, all of which offer various textures. “My favorite is alpaca,” she said. “It’s soft and silky and makes cute feathers.”
Roberts appreciates how forgiving she finds felting. “If it doesn’t look right, you either rip off some wool or you put some more wool on.” Roberts said there are two ways to mess up felting wool. “One, you can quit. Two, you can poke the devil out of yourself with the needles.”
Roberts’ felted creations are often whimsical. She begins by studying a subjects skeletal and muscular structure as well as any fur, feathers or hair. Sometimes a wire frame is used for the foundation, other times it may be pure wool. With needles and wool in hand, Roberts said she then uses just the right amount of artistic license to bring her creations to life with whimsy.
2 Margarette, the dancing mouse.
3 Lacey Roberts is a juried member of Kentucky Arts Council Kentucky Crafted Program. Her featured work is made of needle felting wool, but she also works with acrylics, watercolor and digital artwork.
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Readers can find more of Roberts’ work online at www.paintedlace.com or her Etsy shop www.etsy.com/shop/thepaintedlace. She also has items at the Midway Maker’s Market in Midway, Ky.
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4 A colorful mane for a whimsical rainbow unicorn.
5 Felix is a particularly concerned cat.
6 Roberts set out to create a cute strawberry. “But he ended up like this,” she laughed. “Let the wool do what it wants,” she advised. “Frankenberry is his own self.”
7 Along with other farm animals, this felted wool pig was on display at the Kentucky Horse Park restaurant for Christmas.
8 An anthropomorphic sunflower.
9 Patty is the name Roberts gave this exceptionally sassy flamingo.
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