Soft Rocks Series
Rock Garden
Artwork Details
Technique: Needle Felted Sculpture
Dimensions: 30" wide x 48" high
Collection: Soft Rocks Series
Availability: Ready to hang sculpture
A Japanese garden made of wool and wood
I wanted Rock Garden to have the quiet simplicity of a Japanese rock garden. The challenge was to create that feeling using the materials and techniques I had been developing for the Soft Rocks Series.
Instead of enclosing the piece in a conventional frame, I gave the structure a more architectural quality.
Framing the Garden
The main section is bordered by wood along the top and bottom, but rather than enclosing the ends, I added two vertical wooden pieces that extend several inches beyond the height of the main frame. The extended uprights are slightly offset, giving the piece an asymmetrical quality and reinforcing the Japanese aesthetic.
Inside that framework, I created the "sand."
I used the same basic technique I had developed for the mortar in Cobblestones: extra wool was felted into the background around the rocks. But this time, instead of creating a continuous surface between many stones, I wanted the background to look like carefully raked sand.
Raking the Sand
Only a few groups of rocks were placed on the surface.
Then I "raked" the wool around them.
To create the appearance of the characteristic lines found in a Japanese rock garden, I needle-felted the background in long, flowing rows around each group of rocks. The resulting texture creates the illusion of rippled sand, even though the entire surface is made from wool.
The rocks become the focal points, surrounded by the quiet rhythm of the raked surface.
About the Soft Rocks Series
The Soft Rocks Series began with a simple contradiction: making rocks that aren't hard.
From there, I began exploring the many ways rocks and stones appear in language, familiar expressions, and visual traditions. Each idea became an opportunity to experiment with needle-felted wool, woodworking, and the illusion of materials.
In Rock Garden, I wasn't trying to reproduce an actual Japanese garden. I was interested in capturing its sense of simplicity, balance, and contemplation—and translating those qualities into soft wool and wood.