Hello Sara. May I just start by getting a thousand “I’m not worthy’s” out of the way, whilst bowing down and averting my eyes. I am absolutely delighted (Honoured, ecstatic, thrilled) be interviewing you for The Felting Lounge. Thank you so much for speaking with me today.
You spent over 20 years as a professional artist, before you learned how to needle felt. What did you find so appealing about needle felting that made you want to branch off from your Painting & begin a whole new career?
I primarily painted but enjoyed sculpture too. I did not love working in clay, however, and the process of casting in bronze is extremely expensive and then HEAVY. Needle felting is a way to sculpt with inexpensive materials and easy to ship and sell. I began needle felting in 2008, the same time that the economy bubble burst, so I was also attracted to the lower price point, lack of necessary framing, and easy shipping. In addition to the economy, and finding a new avenue for sculpture, I fell in love with fiber. Learning about all the sheep breeds and other natural fibers in the world has been thrilling and rewarding.
You are famous for creating very beautiful and very life-like needle felted animals. In an interview that I read at ceruleangypsy you said (about stuffed toys that you would keep on your bed) "the more realistic the better. I would cut off their tags to erase any sign that they were actually made in China." It’s very clear from your work today that this need to make your creations as ‘real life’ as possible is still very strong within you, can you please tell us more about ‘how’ you manage to bring such realism to your pieces. (Do you study photographs/form/anatomy of the animals?)
I do like them to be realistic but I think there are other artists who have an edge on me in that department! I see animals with my own slant and try to exaggerate some feature or features to bring them to my mind’s eye. A wolf with long legs, a draft horse with a very round butt, a hare with bulging eyes. I also like to let the fiber speak; try not to control them too much. So realism, yes, but with a punch. I have spent my life looking at animals and seeing shapes and colors in everything. Google has no doubt brought more of the world to our fingertips. Because I start most with an armature, I study skeletons. The foundation must be accurate.
What do you think are the most common mistakes people make when their creations fail to be as realistic as they intended?
Not sure that there are mistakes as much as needing practice. It took me years to get to the place where I could make complex/large armatures and blend colors both refining and elaborating the details of my work. My first needle felted things looked just like everyone’s. That said, without an accurate armature things can go very wrong no matter how well you have honed your techniques.
The Fibres that you use for your animal fur are such a close reflection of the real life animals in colour and texture. In the beginning, how easy did you find it to source the right materials for the results you wanted? With such an overwhelming variety of fibres available for needle felting, all with different properties, how did you manage to find exactly what you were looking for? Did you research the different properties of sheep breeds or did you just buy lots of different wool until you found what worked best?
In the beginning I went in search of roving and fiber. I did not know the first thing about fiber or sheep. I bought a lot of wool that I did not know how to use… yet. I went to our nearby Sheep and Wool festival to see lots of fiber hands on. I learned a lot there and began to understand the different types and how I liked to use them. I made fiber friends, like Felting Farmer Lady Lee, who helped to educate me. The more I learned about needle felting, the more I learned about fiber and what to use when and how. I am still and always will be learning. Fortunately, owning the business now, I can afford the time, space, and money to buy a big variety of fiber and fiber equipment, so I have them at hand. It’s like cooking a meal in a professional kitchen, anything and everything you could ever need.
I would describe you as a ‘Celebrity’ of the needle felting world. So many artists turn to you for inspiration and advice, (in fact, whenever the subject of armatures or animals comes up, usually the first answer that is given is “Check out the Sarafina tutorial”). So when you come up against a (Needle felting related) ‘problem’ and you are unsure about how to get around it – who do you turn to for advice? Who does the expert ask?
That’s a funny question. I talk shop and creativity with my Dad, my Sisters, and a handful of close friends. I also open up new directions or possibilities with the Sarafina Staff. There is no one person, but the collaboration of many minds can elevate ideas far beyond my own thoughts. I also am not afraid to fail. Probably the biggest accomplishment of my life is all my failures added up.
You collaborated with Lee Charlton for the Forest Folk tutorial. (which I love, and now cannot stop making them! Thank you so much for that.) Can you please tell us a bit more about who she is and how that collaboration came about?
Ah, I mentioned her earlier! She and I clicked via Facebook. We just recognized a kindred spirit in one another I guess. She loves fiber! She is the Lock Lady. I have been to TX. She has been here. We have travelled to the UK together and also to the MD Sheep and Wool. We actually made the Forest Folk tutorial to fill time during her visit after the failed UK trip (we were sent back for not having a works visa in case you did not hear though the grapevine.)
I did indeed hear about it, you must have been gutted! I was so gutted for you and for everyone who was hoping to attend the workshops. Do you have any plans to return to the UK?
At the moment, no plans, although it is very much on my mind to get back there.
I recently watched your latest YouTube presentation, From Hobby to Entrepreneur, which as the name suggests is about how you turned your needle felting from a hobby into a very (very!) successful business. As someone who is at the beginning of this journey, I found it very insightful (It actually answered a lot of the questions that I was going to ask you for this interview!) The presentation is available (for free) on YouTube. Your tutorials are also freely available online. Do you think that your business has been more successful because you give this information freely?
My business is built on sharing information. How else could it grow? If I guarded all that I have learned it would just be me, alone, creating and selling, creating and selling. I have not shared everything, but lots for sure! I knew that needle felting could and would be enjoyed and loved by many. Putting the tutorials for free on YouTube was a strategic business decision. I had been contacted over and over asking to teach and had been teaching local workshops. I just knew that people would eat it up, appreciate the information, and in turn, for the most part, give us their business.
What are you most proud of, and why?
There are a few things things about our business that I find extra rewarding. I am proud of the Sarafina team. We are now 6 going on 7 people strong. Each person has elevated the whole in his or her own way. I am proud that my vision has provided a fun and creative job for this team. I am also delighted that we have brought felting into the lives of so many people. We get messages, emails, letters, or gifts, every day thanking us for being here, for sharing, for helping, for caring. We are a business, a community, a family, and an art built around a shared passion. It’s also very rewarding to work with so many other small businesses and self employed people from the shepherds and mills to the woodworkers and US based, family owned manufacturers
Which piece are you most proud of?
I am not sure. The Lion is impressive. There is something extra special about the Wolf and Little Red though, perhaps because I have been on a journey with them through the process of the book. My first Snowshoe Hare was not my best piece, but sort of a milestone in my needle felting career.
How do you continue to challenge yourself, and learn new techniques?
There is no limit to the amount to learn. I can always go larger, more complex, or more detailed. I can try new techniques from other arts, wet felting, spinning, nuno felting, for example. I am currently trying to make a ¾ life Great Blue Heron using every trick in my book along with some yet to be discovered.
With the other techniques you mentioned above, how do you prefer to learn? Do you attend classes or find other means of tuition, or do you find you learn more by experimenting with techniques in your own way?
I learn from trial and error. Lots of both! Since I am building my Sarafina business around teaching, I prefer not to take classes. I feel better about teaching things that I have figured out on my own. That is not to say that I do not learn from other people all of the time or that there is not a lot I could learn from a class! It’s just always how I have approached creativity, even in my painting days. (Sometimes, with painting, I wished I could learn more through classes/workshops because a better knowledge of the oil medium and blending colors could have elevated my work. )
Is there anything you haven’t tried yet, but would love to?
I would like to create a “body of work,” something cohesive to be shown in a gallery. Right now I am too busy with the business, but I know I will get there.
And finally, is there anything else you would like to share with us? (upcoming projects, tutorials collaborations, kits etc?)
Sarafina has so much simmering I could not even begin to convey it all!
Sara, thank you so much. You are an inspiration to thousands of people all across the globe. Your success and that of the whole Sarafina Team is so very well deserved. I can’t wait to see your finished Heron piece & look forward to seeing more of your upcoming projects in 2016.
Thank you
Lisa.
If you would like to see more from Sarafina Fiber Art & Sara Renzulli, please see the following links:
Sarafina Fiber Art Website
Youtube
Sarafina Fiber Art Facebook Page
Sarafina Felting Fanfare – Facebook Group For Needle Felters following the Sarafina Tutorials
Lee Charlton (Felting Farmer Lady)on Etsy
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