Kyla Corbett Designs - Felted Art, Oil Painting, and Folk Art Dolls
FELTED FIBER
The awe-inspiring wonder of nature and wildlife drives my desire to create art. After decades of exploring watercolor and various other art mediums, I discovered the fiber art world in 2011 and was enamored with the texture and warmth of felted wool that captured the essence of wildlife and nature so beautifully. I still find that each new piece is an exploration of movement, texture and color as I layer and sculpt the wool. Excitement still wells up in me when I share a finished piece and watch the transformation of people as they realize the art is made with wool.
My technique for composition and value mimic painting but are achieved with different medium and tools. I use a pre-felted wool sheeting as my "canvas" to lock the loose fibers into. The needles are my “brushes “and my “paints” are various dyed and natural sheep’s wool along with other locking fibers of silk, Mohair and alpaca. Needle felting is a handcrafted process which entails laying out the various wools onto a pre-felted wool sheet and pushing specially hooked needles in and out of the wool thousands of times to tangle the locking fibers together until they become united into a single piece of art. Where I use a 5-needle tool to felt large areas together, I sculpt the wool with a single needle to define shapes and add details.
Felted fiber paintings broaden the scope of visual stimulation found in artwork. It unlocks another dimension of ourselves as we process the movement and texture that has been shaped from wool. The fiber art takes the viewer beyond visual senses as it guides them through the organic flow of wool. Sharing this incredible medium as artwork is a passion and I continue to learn and grow with every piece I create.
PRIMITIVE FOLK ART DOLLS
I have been creating whimsical dolls made to look old and primitive since 2013. I love every aspect of the process, from choosing patterns to deciding on cotton fabrics to sewing them together to stuffing them to painting them and staining them. I love to add little details that bring the dolls to life such as wool hair and hand-wired eye glasses. Each piece brings me laughter as I sew or paint their smiles or curl their fingers around a cookie. Nothing makes me happier than seeing the prim pieces light up another person's face and provide joy for themselves or as a gift for a loved one. I spend hours creating endearing characters within the pieces of muslin and love to stain the dolls with a wonderful mixture of coffee, vanilla and cinnamon.
OIL PAINTING:
I have been painting in oils for about 6 years. I mostly participate in Plein Air (outdoors) events and local festivals. I love using palette knife to create rich landscapes that portray our beautiful state of Oregon. I also love painting dog portraits, nature, and people portraits/figures. I have recently graduated from OSU with a Natural Resource degree specializing in Visual Science Communication which has spurred me to open my art to the science illustration and environmental art world.
