VACMA: From Paint to Felt - Matt Haselden

During the first part of the project I spent some time researching different felts and fibres and some of the techniques I could use to develop paintings and drawings from flat works into three dimensional pieces. The award allowed me to purchase a range of tools and materials to try. It also paid for some online courses to support my learning which really helped me grow my confidence with the materials.

Through experimenting with needlefelting, stitch and layering, I found the look I really liked was more 2.5D than 3D. Working with solid chunks of colour was very different from my usual linework and thin layers of translucent paint. After lots of failed attempts, I developed a method of painting first and then translating that flat work into layered felt forms using the painting as a template. I’m really pleased with the outcomes. I feel my work has more scope and depth and I am grateful for the award in helping me achieve that and I’ve become more open to the possibility of other media and I am definitely going to use these layered dimensional techniques in my future work.

I have a large family and my workspace is pretty public. I have received constant feedback, but the most valuable to me has been from my 7 year old who loves the ‘fuzzy felt pictures’. I like that people seem to connect with this work in a different way.

This project could not have happened without the award. It gave me the freedom to buy materials to experiment with and grow in my practice.