FELT ARTISAN GALINA BLAZEJEWSKA Hi, my name is Galina. I live in Poland near the Baltic Sea coast. Currently I’m focused on combining various unusual techniques into challenging projects. My designs express a visual interpretation of Nature’s creations. I take natural elements and blend them together with soft and warm to the touch, felt. My work is unique but it is recognizable in that I make wearable designs that are very different from the street chaos that surrounds us.
GALINA BLAZEJEWSKA
Felting allows me to dive into the magical world of handmade goods – everything is possible here. As if by magic almost any shape can appear in one’s hands from what was originally, formless pieces of wool. I let the flow of images, created in my mind, flow into my hands producing reality. In her interview with Joan, Galina answered the following questions. How did your creative career path as a felt artisan evolve? My first acquaintance with felt began six years ago. I saw a blog of my classmate who lives in Sweden. She posted images of interesting scarves made with a technique that was unknown to me at that time. I was so curious that I started to greedily absorb details of this technique and asked a friend to explain what was involved in felting. I bought some wool and tried to make my first flower and a scarf. It was difficult to find good felting materials in Poland at this time. Since then many changes have occurred. I am always searching for new information about materials, wool and methods. The more sophisticated the techniques I see, the more I want to try them with my hands. Is there is one particular person who was influential in advancing your skills in this environment? Apart from my classmate, who was my first felting teacher, I research the work of other felt artists on a daily bases, learning and gaining inspiration from their work. As an artist where do you find inspiration for your designs? I live in a village not far from the Baltic Sea.Watching the changing of the seasons will never bore me. I love the changing colour palettes as autumn changes into winter. I gain my inspiration INTERVIEW CONTINUES ON NEXT PAGE
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CREATIVE LIFE MAGAZINE www.creativelifemagazine.com
November 2013