View this contemporary take on felt art by visiting Japanese artist Ayako Ohnishi.
"I love everything about sheep" says Ayako who has made multiple trips to New Zealand, home to 23 million sheep. She gains inspiration and energy here. The seasonal sentiment of Japan in collaboration with inspiration comes from wool. Ayako invites you to feel the warmth and allot it to melt your heart.
Ayako Majored in Arts, specialising in textile dying and felting through Aoyama Women's College and further studied at Musashino Art University, faculty of Art and Design. Since graduating Ayako has been holding workshops at public exhibitions, group exhibitions and local community events in Japan as well as abroad where her love of wool brought her to New Zealand.
She is enthusiastic about sharing her passion for wool and is fascinated by the natural softness (touch), the colour (visual) and the smell (scent). The soft warm texture and versatility to be shaped and coloured are some of the creative attributes of wool. Ayako paints using fluffy soft and gentle wool and sometimes the finished work resembles landscapes, plants and something full of life. When layered, unlike paint id does not become cloudy and allows each layer to work together in magical harmony. She explains that through her hands, the wool expresses itself freely and she is merely assisting.
