I enjoy color. Ideas for color blending emerge from influences of nature, especially the sky and water. I also look to some of my favorite artists—Dalí, Monet and Cézanne. I believe that color affects our moods and I hope that when someone wears one of my creations, it affects them in a positive way. Textiles surrounded me while growing up in a house where my couture mother made most of my clothes. I studied fine arts through high school, but studied graphic arts in college which has been my profession for over two decades. A little over four years ago, I needed a creative boost, so I took a textile class at a local university where I learned feltmaking. The versatility of felt led to my exploration of making slippers, handbags, ornaments, pillows, hats and scarves. Most recently I learned the technique of felting wool to silk. This process has broadened my approach to felting. Felted silk has a different texture and more dimension depending on the type of silk used. My jewelry is made with a wire-knitting tool that I discovered at a sewing arts festival in Toronto. I add freshwater pearls to the wire to give add depth. The combination of wire colors transform into a unified knitted tube that complement the center section of each necklace. I continue to experiment with my felting and wire-knitting. I have yet to exhaust all the color combinations and design possibilities.
		© 2008 Michele Montour