Bumble Bee

by Jenne Giles

“I began working with wool in 2005 to create sculptured textiles and wearable art. I turned to wool because of its color, warmth, and sociability after a long period of working with mild steel. I discovered that wool, with its pliability and saturated palette, is similar to other fine art mediums like paint and clay. I enjoy exploring wool and other fibers as a fine art medium and felting techniques in particular which involve wool's natural ability to matte together or to be enmeshed using barbed needles to create dense materials. Wool has an ancient history that has only recently been rediscovered; I try to engage with it and to fully explore its artistic implications.”

Jenne Giles is a fiber artist whose work explores the possibility of felting with wool across sculpture, painting, and wearable art. Her work involves concepts of gender, identity, consumerism, culture, and mortality.