Inspiration Wet Felted Art Sonoran Desert Blooms

What inspires you to create? For me, that spark can come from many sources—sometimes from inside, sometimes from a feeling or emotion, sometimes from outside in nature. The plants in my home, the Sonoran Desert, often stop me in my tracks with their unique beauty, colors, adaptations for survival, and array of elegant and imposing shapes. The Prickly Pear cactus is one of my favorites. Although they are covered with spines, the pads themselves make a refreshing green salad Nopales in the summer (spines removed and pads sliced into thin green bean-like shapes). In Spring those same pads produce the most glorious blossoms. In this wet felted depiction i have used 4 layers of Corriedale Wool with final outside layers top and bottom of Merino Wool. The curry colored background is lovely mesh silk from Austarlia. The pads and blooms are “painted” using Merino wools with bits of silk threads for the spines. This piece is for sale as a trivet and/or wall blessing at River of Time Museum Gift Shop Fountain Hills, Az. If you are interested in learning the history of the beautiful Verde River, this is the place to go! www.riveroftime.museum