June Rhoads, one of Tryon Arts and Crafts School’s esteemed felted work artisans, has been named the school’s Artist of the Month.

Her artwork will be featured, for the month of June, in the gallery of Tryon’s Arts and Crafts School at 373 Harmon Field Road, which is open from Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

June was trained in felting at the John C. Campbell Folk School, but has learned much from experimenting on her own. She uses three different methods to create her felted works: needle, wet and nuno felting.

For needle felting she uses a notched needle to grab layers of fleece and tangle them with other layers. In wet felting, warm soapy water is added to layers of fleece that has been placed at 90-degree angles. This is agitated and compressed causing the fibers to hook together. Nuno felting is the bonding of loose fleece fibers with sheer fabric with the use of warm soapy water and compression.

June has always enjoyed expressing herself in creative art, and says, “When I started working with fleece, I felt I had finally found the right media of expression for me. I get my inspiration from nature, using the colors and textures all around me. I hope that others can appreciate the beauty of nature through my felted pieces.”

For more information about the school, please contact the office at 828-859-8323 or visit TryonArtsandCrafts.org.

– article submitted
by Cathy Fischer