Artist statement
I am an only child and so very early I seem to have found happiness in solitude, playing alone and taking refuge in fantasy stories as queen of the wind in love with the king of trees. I was raised near a mountain and my dad used to bring me often on road trips in his Bronco around the country to watch the landscape and animals especially in autumn. With my best friend and cousin I spent my childhood playing with rocks and branches, sitting aside the river beside this mountain. I found the forest so peaceful, magical, powerful and grounding.
My grandmother, a seamstress, knitter, crocheter and embroiderer gave me needles and thread to keep my hands busy. And it would work for hours. As a teen I used to bring my needles and craft bag everywhere, car trips, restaurants, and I would even hide under the sheets with a lamp to secretly continue my work very late at night. I borrowed every needle book at the school library to learn more.
My grandmother, a seamstress, knitter, crocheter and embroiderer gave me needles and thread to keep my hands busy. And it would work for hours. As a teen I used to bring my needles and craft bag everywhere, car trips, restaurants, and I would even hide under the sheets with a lamp to secretly continue my work very late at night. I borrowed every needle book at the school library to learn more.
As a child my mom kept my hair very short and I think this played a role in my fascination with hair, thread, yarn, fibre, everything fuzzy and wooly. All the lines and structures of nature and captivates me. The fact that we can produce a piece of cloth and create something with thread and fibres is just magical to me. Especially the felting technique because you start with those loose pieces of wool hair almost like dust and end up with a palpable object, soft and warm.
Textures, fibres, and colour are fascinating to me. They continuously stimulate my senses and nourish my imagination. I find myself lost contemplating how moss is like a miniature forest, how leaf veins create a labyrinth, how branch structure, when viewed from certain angles, create images in the sky, how bark folds hide secret worlds. I view rotting wood, rocks, prairies of grass , and imaging caressing them. I see water being painted blended by ripples, ice, snow, and rain, creating glazing textures and colours.
From a life of dark times, my fibre art journey brought me back to see colour and light. I hope people will be called, and be transported in this voyage of senses and imagery.
From a life of dark times, my fibre art journey brought me back to see colour and light. I hope people will be called, and be transported in this voyage of senses and imagery.
Biography
I’m a 46 years old wool charmer located in Canada.
Of course I have always been a heavy crafter since my childhood. My maternal grand mother was doing all kind of needle work and she was a skilled seamstress with unlimited patience, and endless determination to run large projects. My paternal grand mother owned a sewing business for I few years when I was a child. I think my love for the yarns and textiles starts from there. Babysitters could easily forget I was there if I had a needle and some thread...
When I went to the fashion school in France, we made a trip to a mill where they were making yarns and weaving tweeds. I always had a big love for wool, and heavy fabrics with texture. I became addicted to jackets and coats making, but hunting the perfect fabric was long and disappointing. I started to add yarns, fringes, and embroidery to my sewing projects. But I was not fully happy. When we went back to Canada, I started to included sweater pieces, hand knits and crochet to my clothes, mixed with fabrics. But I was still feeling unsatisfied. Finding the perfect yarns, or fabrics was impossible.
Since my neighbors have a sheep farm, I had this idea to ask them to take the fleeces and try to make yarn, so I could create exactly what I need. My intention was also to weave my fabrics and try some felt. I had no idea at all in which adventure I was diving in...and no experience in hand spinning, felting or weaving whatsoever. So I saved my money and bought my kiwi wheel with my beloved giant bobbin. Then a carder...a loom, dyes, and you know the suite...
After a very successful crowdfunding campaign that allowed me to buy new tools, I started to create content for my patrons on Patreon, by sharing live videos of my daily work, exclusive YouTubes, patterns and tutorials.
I’m now very deep down the rabbit hole of fibre arts, and with my new studio now I could play with my sewing machines, the wheels, the loom, the dyes, and I have total control of what I’m creating, and a lot of fun. There is no words to describes the sentiment of satisfaction when you start from dirty smelly fleeces and end up with a colourful wearable piece of clothing.
Connect with JOYCE
Website: www.mynoush.com
Facebook: mynoushhandmade
Instagram: @mynoushart
tiktok @mynoushart
Facebook: mynoushhandmade
Instagram: @mynoushart
tiktok @mynoushart
