Feltingthe art of creating a fabric out of woolViltkunst // Vera Van de Casteele // Felting artist

About Me

I was born in Belgium and I live in Mortsel, near Antwerp.

I first came into contact with felting in 2009, and it was as if I had been struck by lightning: this is it! The puzzle was complete.

In Germany I found a haven for my passion. Being far from home, in a different environment and speaking a different language, made me more self-contained and introspective, which proved to be beneficial to my creativity. German is the language in which my hands and my mind communicate with the wool.

In my mind, patterns, forms and images are vague and hazy. But my hands know exactly what they need to do. Through their dialogue with the wool fibres, a transformation takes place: into a sculpture, a wall-hanging.

My work isn’t about being innovative, or inventing new forms or techniques; it’s about refining and improving my mode of self-expression. The long process of layering, wetting, rolling, shrinking, shaping, etc., requires awareness, focus, and concentration. My hands release and express my thoughts and feelings. There is a little piece of my soul in every work of art they create.

My inspiration comes from music, poetry and nature, but also from life itself: sad events as well as happy ones. Traumas, pain or sorrow can be transformed into beauty. In everything bad, there is a little hidden good; it just takes a while to discover it. Felting helps me to heal and to grow, to find my place on earth.

Download full bio