Flóra Carlile-Kovács is a Hungarian born felt artist living and working in West Seattle.
Using the most ancient textile technique, she combines fine hand-dyed merino wool and silk fiber and silk fabrics with soap, water and vigorous kneading the end product is a stronger, new material: felt.

Q. What aspect of felting do you enjoy the most?

Flóra C-K.: I love that felt can be hard and strong when the purpose of the object requires that, and it can be soft and drape, but still very durable when I create wearable art. I love that felting can be small as jewelry, and large as houses – as they make yurts from handmade felt in some Asian countries. I love that felt is basically painting and sculpture combined. The combinations of colors and the different qualities and applications of wool hold vast possibilities. The textures, forms, and effects which can be obtained through the introduction of 'foreign' materials (i.e.: other textiles, organic materials, wire and metallic thread, beads, stones, etc.) are virtually endless. Felt, as an expressive medium, is conducive to an instinctive and spontaneous creative process. 

Q. Where do you find your inspiration?

Flóra C-K:   My inspiration mainly comes from my subconscious observations of nature. The landscapes of the Hungarian country and textures of nature are deeply imprinted in me, and they come to surface both when I lay down silk and wool layers of a nunofelt scarves or when I shape my sculptural hats. My other main inspiration is the material I use. Wool has an amazing quality that we can shape it in various ways, and the fabric has „memory” and holds the 3D form for a long time. The potentials of creating various shapes with wool are basically endless and keep my mind and hands constantly busy.

Q: You will be teaching a Prefelt Pad Class with Nomadic Design at Inspiring Material. What is your connection to folk arts?

Flóra C-K: Hungary has amazingly rich tradition of folk arts of all sorts. I have been a folk dancer from an early age, so I was also exposed to wide array of wonderful traditional Hungarian costumes. I was always fascinated by the craftsmanship, by the amazing quality, by the richness of designs and the details on the folk art objects. This interest led me to graduate from the University of Debrecen as an ethnographer. Later I realized that rather working in museums with old pieces of textiles etc, I prefer to use folk art as inspiration and create textiles. Besides making wearable art, I have always had a side-line of home textiles inspired by the nomads of Middle Asia. Interestingly, there is often a similarity in the designs of nomad tribes of Asia and Hungarian folk art, but on a different scale. What might be a pattern of a large felt rug in Kyrgyzstan, can also be a pattern of a fragile Easter egg decorated in Transylvania.

For more information on the Prefelt Pad Workshop discussed above, being taught by Flora for Inspiring Material, feel free to click the button below to register!