About Tash Wesp

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About Tash Wesp

Artist Statement
I create “nuno” felt which combines fine silk and cotton voile and raw wool that I have hand dyed. Using just soap and water and agitation the wool migrates through the fabric to become one seamless whole garment.
I have been in the arts starting at a early age when I performed with a small one ring Circus in San Francisco, developing a one women show and touring in Europe. Work brought me to a small coastal town in Oregon where I also started a family. I created a hat based on my character for my show, thus my desire to learn to felt.
Now years later as a studio textile artist, I still put my love of fun and frolic, into my work. I’m constantly thinking of new ways to reinvent old techniques and improve upon what I have learned and discovered from my own trial and errors. My love of wool, and how it takes such a wonderful, beautiful, solid felted shape is my passion.

Exhibitions:
Surface Design Association
“Cloth of Many Colors” Klamath Art Gallery Aug. 2007
9th Street Gallery Newport, OR 2007
Art in the Pearl Portland, OR 2006
Oregon Country Fair Eugene, OR. 2005-2007
“Felt Work” Up Stairs Gallery Newport, OR January 2006
Triad Gallery, Seal Rock, OR. December 2006
TouchStone Gallery Yachats, OR 2003-2005
Runyon Gallery Show Newport, OR 2002-2003
“Flim, Flam, Felting” One Woman Show 2001
Visual Arts Center Newport, OR
Cosmos Art Gallery Newport, OR 1996

Teaching Experience:
Waldorf School, Portland Or Jan 2007
Newport Visual Arts Center Newport, OR 1996-present
Planned and taught numerous felt-making workshops for children and adults. This includes hat-making, scarfs, small sculpture, pictorial fiber painting and nuno felting.

Artist in Residence Nye Beach Montessori School, Newport, OR 2001-2003
Taught numerous art techniques to children at a local montessori preschool.

Mission Mills Wool Museum Salem, OR 2004
Taught hat-making, needle felting, design class.

Fine Fiber Press 2004 Albany, OR
Taught a sculptural hat techniques class.
Training:
May Hvistendahal- Nuno Felting-Norway 2004
Haystack School of Arts and Crafts-Beth Beede 2001
Polly Sterling-Nuno Felting 2001
Brigitie Hansen-Small Sculpture 2000
Pat Spark-3-D Felting 1996

Handmade Felt
I begin with fine Merino wool, and incorporate silk and cotton to create a strong but light and drape able material. The wool is laid out in layers, each layer going in a different direction. Water and soap is added, and gentle agitation begins the felting process. During the felting process the wool fibers migrate through the fabric creating a one-of-a kind piece. I favor traditional millinery techniques to shape and style my hats and the felt needle to lay intricate design and detail. I finish with wet felting to bring the piece together.