Artist Demo: Fiber Art with Kara Patrowicz

March 22, 2023
10:30am-12:00pm

Join us for a demonstration of Kara’s felting process. Wool felting is one of the oldest methods of creating textiles and can be used in the making of a wide range of objects, from vessels to scarves, childrens crafts to original artworks. Kara will share how she begins with inspiration from daily life as a mother, then gathers photos and generates drawings. Next she will demonstrate how she translates these references into painterly, wool felted art through wet felting and needle felting. A short slide presentation will be included to show the evolution of her art practice from painting to fibers, and she will share recent pieces that include felting with found materials.

 

Image: Kara Patrowicz, Playtime II, 2021, needle felting, 45 x 50 inches

 

Kara Patrowicz (neé Waxman) is a visual artist exploring the intersection of fibers, painting and drawing. She spent her formative years on Long Island and in Boston before moving to Maynard, MA with her husband, toddler son and newborn daughter. She has exhibited in Massachusetts, New York, Texas, Ireland, and also Switzerland through the Art in Embassies program. She lived and worked in Dublin, Ireland as a Fulbright Grant recipient in Painting, and is a 2021 Finalist in Crafts for the Massachusetts Cultural Council Artist Fellowships Program. She has taught art courses at UMass Lowell and the Brookline Arts Center and worked as an Artist-in-Residence at Boston Children’s Hospital.

Patrowicz earned her M.F.A. (2-D Media) from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt), Post-Baccalaureate (Studio Art) from Brandeis University, and B.F.A. (Painting) from Boston University. Her original studies were in figurative oil painting and drawing, and during her time at MassArt she discovered the world of fibers. She began to incorporate embroidery, weaving and felting into her creative process, and her work continues to inhabit the rich realm of mixed-media and surface design.

 

Photo credit: Alice Donovan Rouse

Top: Big Belly, Kara Patrowicz

Bottom: Local Diner, Rachel Morrissey