Each piece of Joan’s dimensional fiber art begins as a cast-off wool sweater. She disassembles, dyes and cuts the sweaters before sewing them into something new. They are then felted in a washing machine. After felting, she enhances her art with hand stitching using hand dyed wool yarn or other threads.
She developed her techniques through experimentation, learning what the fabric wants to do, then using those tendencies to express her intentions. Joan’s dimensional fiber art aims to illuminate connections within the natural world and between it and the man-made world. Her hope is that people will connect with her work through their own experiences in the natural world.