Helen is a needle felting artist with a passion for textiles with an affinity for detail and small, shiny things; she was often found rummaging through her mum’s button box looking for the treasures within and was taught to knit when she was 5 years old.
She studied Art A level art, a foundation course at The Wirral Metropolitan College, Knitwear Design degree course at Trent Polytechnic and then transferred to a Textile Technology course gaining a BTEC Textile Technology qualification.
After leaving university, Helen worked in the corporate world and continued to create her art in her spare time as a tool to destress. She was made redundant at the end of 2019 and decided to take the big leap to set up her art business where she now focuses on the magical technique of needle felting.
Nature and being outdoors is her inspiration and her art has developed and now focuses on creating realistic wool painted pet and animal portraits by skilfully turning wool into lifelike art. Instead of using paint, she uses carded wool and a specialist barbed needle to create 2D artwork, blending coloured wool together and transforming it into a beautiful image. In her pet portraits, she also includes the fur of the animal to make the painting a lasting legacy and even more special.
With needle felting, she finds it fascinating and incredible that such a humble product such as wool can be manipulated and created in something amazing and beautiful. Her goal is to evoke feelings of joy, love, peace, and wonder and wants to emphasise the unique, tactile, and sustainable aspects of the craft with each piece being crafted with authenticity, love and creativity.
Her work connects with those who appreciate the wonders of nature, love their pets, and seek solace in the midst of chaos. It's for those who hold nature and animals close, bringing a sense of peace and balance to their lives.
Website: www.helenwintertextileart.co.uk
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