In 2004, Ashley taught herself how to knit as a way to pass the long, cold, Maine winters. Eventually, she started experimenting with felting, fulling and needle felting (see descriptions of each process below). In the winter of 2007, Ashley created her first piece, 'MYTH', and knew she had found her medium. The images created are based on landscapes and animals that the artist holds dear to her heart. The types of wool used in each piece vary from alpaca, sheep and goat.
Ashley strives to support local farms that participate in humane and animal-friendly practices. She is opposed to *mulesing and does her best not to purchase Australian wool.
In an effort to be both environmentally- and animal-friendly, Ashley has begun to use recycled wool in her pieces and has also started to experiment with BAMBOO FIBER!
Felted Wool: A process of combining raw wool (wool that hasn’t been spun into yarn) and warm, soapy water and repeatedly kneading and rolling the wool until the fiber locks together and forms one piece.
Fulled Wool: A process of combining knitted wool with soap, hot water and agitation – causing the fiber to interlock, matt and shrink.
Needle Felting: Using a barbed needle to push raw wool onto the felted or fulled piece – causing the fiber to lock into the piece and provide the detail.
Mulesing is an inhumane practice used on sheep that involves hacking off the flesh on the sheep's hind quarters in order to prevent 'flystrike'. Pain killers are not used during this process. This process is still practiced in Australia. Australian sheep are shorn too early in the season which can cause a lack of protection from the natural elements and can prompt premature death. Lastly, Australian sheep are sent via cargo ships to the MIddle East to be slaughtered and many suffer and die from the deplorable conditions in the cargo ships.
Sites of interest:
http://WeymouthPhoto.com
www.artbymichaelfraser.com
www.salclark.com
www.champart.com
