October is brimming with talent at the yard!

 Meet our guest artists this month...

Sophie Kilic

As a Dorset girl, I have always had a passion for the sea, for dreamy days spent on vast stretches of sand, or on the Jurassic coast finding fossils and exploring the secret worlds within rock pools. More recently I have become fascinated with the play of light, especially on sand, and the patterns formed in foam as it washes onto the shore. This collection of paintings hopes to capture something of this wonder and provide a sense of escape to some of the beautiful beaches around the south coast of England.

I am a self-taught artist who aims to be as environmentally sustainable as possible. I use eco-acrylic when I can, and most of the boards I use are unbleached or use wood from sustainable sources.

CLARE HADLEY

I discovered feltmaking through my local art society over 20 years ago and became instantly hooked - Oil paints, pastels & pencils took a back seat to wools, silks and dyes!I am still amazed by the ability of wool to transform from a soft fluffy pile of fibres to such a wide variety of items. It can be soft & flexible or solid & firm, 2D or 3D, functional or fantastic.

Over the years I’ve tried many different felting techniques – nuno for fine scarves, needlefelting for cute animals, thick felt for boots, mixed fibres for artworks. The one thing I always go back to is felting in 3D, especially to produce beautiful but practical items such as my hats and bags. I love sculptural forms but also the ability to play with decoration and richly embellished surfaces.I currently work at Poole Hospital as a medical physicist, so feltmaking provides a wonderful way to switch off. It might even become a new career one day!