-I think I'm naturally attracted
to textures and forms and shapes.
I get most inspired when I see beautiful shapes
that can become my composition.
Colors are also very inspiring.
[ Soft piano music plays ]
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I grew up in rural Hungary, in a smaller town, in Szeged.
It's a big town for Hungary,
but it would be a small town here.
My mom was an art teacher.
My uncle and my aunt were sculptors.
My grandfather was a furniture maker.
When I was growing up,
I was always interested in all kinds of fiber arts.
I was trying weaving, knitting, basket weaving,
beading, lace making, embroidery.
When I grew up,
I visited an exhibit in my home country of Anna Kubinyi.
She was a super innovative artist.
Her weavings had layers
of perpendicular fins on the surface.
She was probably one of my main influences.
When I was in my teenage years, the war in Serbia was going on,
so we could hear the jets flying across the border.
That was a little scary.
I moved to the United States 12 years ago.
So, nature is very different here than where I grew up.
I love living so close to beautiful parks in Seattle
like Lincoln Park, Seward Park, Smith Park.
So, felting is the most ancient textile technique
because you don't need any sort of instruments
to process the fibers.
We only need loose, washed wool.
We organize the fibers to go in one direction.
And once we make the wool fiber moist and soapy,
we start agitating the fibers by rubbing and rolling.
Then the fibers start migrating and connecting.
And this is how the fabric gets really dense.
When I work, I love listening to music.
When I need to focus,
I usually listen to music without any words.
[ Classical music playing ]
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And when it becomes more repetitive and more physical,
then I find a music with more energy that keeps me going.
♪♪
It's a modern way of felting
when we start incorporating different materials in the felt.
And I'm particularly attracted to using various silks
where the weave of the silk is loose enough
so when I rub the wool,
I can physically force the wool fibers to migrate
through the weave of the silk.
And in this process, the wool fiber captures the silk,
and then it creates that beautiful, very rich texture.
I was honored to get a grant
from the City of Seattle Office of Arts and Culture
for creating public art.
And I chose the Labour Temple as the venue.
I created six new pieces
for this particular show.
My intention was to start a new line
based on lichen shapes and forms.
Lichens are beautiful creatures.
They are basically a symbiosis of algae and fungi.
Lichens grow really slowly.
They grow about 1 or 2 millimeters a year.
That means these bigger ones can be even 20 years old.
Felting is a combination of painting and sculpting.
It still blows my mind
that we can create on so many levels from felt.
I think this is the most diverse or versatile medium.
We can make something very small, like even jewelry,
and we can felt as large as making yurts or houses.
When I was exploring making garments,
wearable art, without tailoring and sewing,
that completely blew my mind.
Sometimes I take some time
to work only on scarves, only on hats,
and then I make wall art.
And this way I don't feel I ever get bored.
I think these pieces bring beautiful color and texture
and softness and calmness into spaces.
And I think these soft textiles beautifully complement
the modern buildings built from glass and metal and concrete,
so I hope to see them in office buildings, lobbies,
private homes to make people's life happier.
♪♪
-Catch Feltscapes: Lichens now through March 31st.
And for more information on Flóra's upcoming events,
including how to sign up for felting classes,
go to florafelts.com.
♪♪
Catch Art Zone, Fridays nights at 8 and anytime online at seattlechannel.org/artzone