Nelly Kouzmina, an award-winning fiber artist and Plainsboro resident, exhibited a colorful and eclectic collection of handmade felt works in a solo show at the Plainsboro Library Gallery from in July. Her one-of-a-kind wall hangings and wearable art allowed viewers to see the wide range of possibilities of felt making. She also presented workshops on felt-making and botanical printing.
For those who missed her the first time around, Kouzmina presents a refresher course at the library on Wednesday, August 26, from 1 to 3 p.m. She includes a mini science fair and a demonstration of wool carding, felt making, eco-dyeing, weaving, and more. The event is for all ages, but children under the age of 8 must be accompanied by an adult. No registration is necessary.
At one recent workshop she first taught participants how to create felt from silk and merino wool. “Felt is the oldest form of textile and creating it is a completely natural process,” she said. The next step focused on coloring the felt with natural dyes extracted from leaves. Kouzmina spoke about oak, plum, eucalyptus, and maple leaves. Eucalyptus leaves yield orange and red dyes, while maple is beige or brown. She also suggested strawberry, rose, and blueberry leaves for more brilliant colors.
“Wool is the best textile to dye, although cotton and other fabrics can also be used,” she said as workshop members learned how to soak their cloth overnight in a water bath with a natural fixative called a mordant. “In the morning, lay the material flat, mix and overlap different leaves and branches on the cloth for interesting shapes and colors,” she instructed. “Wrap it tightly around a rod or stick and steam it for 45 minutes.”
Kouzmina, a native of Russia, has been a Plainsboro resident for more than 20 years. She has an engineering science background, and is a self-taught fiber artist who started exploring the felt-making process three years ago. She pursues the craft with a passion under the company name Feltinelli LLC. Kouzmina approaches felt making by applying established techniques as well as creating her own, and she experiments with a wide range of fibers and natural dyes.
Felt may be the oldest fabric known to mankind — the process of felt making has been practiced for thousands of years — and there are many references to it in ancient writings. Some of the earliest felt remains were found in the frozen tombs of nomadic horsemen in the Siberian Altai Mountains and date to around 700 B.C. These tribes made clothing, saddles, and tents from felt because it was strong and resistant to severe weather. It is not woven and does not require a loom or other equipment for its production. In recent years felt making has experienced a revival and has taken on new, contemporary forms.
Kouzmina has exhibited widely in the tri-state area, including the Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie, the Raymond James Gallery in Pennsylvania, and LaLa Gallery in SoHo, New York City. She is a regular exhibitor at regional arts festivals, such as the Sugarloaf Craft Festival in Somerset, Communiversity in Princeton, and the New Hope Art Festival, where she received the Best in Show Award last September. She received the Best in Fiber Art Award at the Ellarslie Open in Trenton last year, and also the first place in Fine Crafts at the Highland Park Art Show.
She is a member of the International Association of Feltmakers and North East Guild of Feltmakers. Kouzmina works in her home studio, and teaches workshops and classes in Plainsboro, West Windsor Art Council, Artists of Yardley, and Trenton City Museum
“We use very simple, primitive equipment, so don’t be afraid to try anything,” she says. “Always continue experimenting and developing as an artist.”
—Lynn Miller
Art Workshop, Plainsboro Public Library, 9 Van Doren Street, Plainsboro. Wednesday, August 26, 1 to 3 p.m. For ages eight and older. 609-275-2897. www.lmxac.org/plainsboro.
