Pat Kelly - Textile Artist

Pat finds particular inspiration for her designs from the aged, weathered buildings and naturally corroded machinery found in the farm surroundings.  She also has a keen interest in art from foreign cultures and enjoys exploring the connection of the art to the rural lives and historical background of the people of these cultures.

 Although she works with various media, Pat specializes in making plant dyed felt using dyes sourced from leaves, twigs, bark, roots and berries found in her large wildlife garden. These dyes are very subtle and Pat carefully blends the wools and over-dyes to produce layers of lovely colour.  Beginning the felting process with raw fleece, she often incorporates wool from various breeds of sheep into one craft piece, creating beautiful and unique texture in the finished product.  Experimenting with new materials brings Pat creative opportunity, and her latest venture is a paint product originating from soils and then incorporated with hand or machine stitching.

Association with the Embroiderers' Guild, the Isle of Man Art Society and now MostlyManx, provides Pat with the support and camaraderie of fellow artisans.  “I find that by working with other creative people, new ideas and ways of working become evident and set my work off in another direction”, she says.

 Some samples of Pat’s work can be viewed or purchased at the MostlyManx shop in Douglas.