As a photographer drawn to experimentation and exhibiting internationally under the name Patricia White, I loved turning the camera’s ability to record detail and light into abstract environments outside of time and place. I found enduring excitement for the better part of a decade engaging the transitions in my process to produce images with satisfying and unusual surface interest. The many steps in producing these camera images gave them very much a life of their own.

     Felt work engages me in the same way. I lost much of my eyesight some years ago, causing adjustments in my life and creative practice. It took time to find my footing. The pure physicality of making felt restored my adventurous spirit and awakened my creative vision. Laminating natural fibers and fabrics to luminous, durable felt produces light-weight, beautiful surfaces with a sculptural range and scale that is limitless.

     Making felt is an ancient practice. The wet, soapy dance that produces finished felt delivers unexpected outcomes when layouts shrink sometimes half their original size. The process can render both subtle and profound illusionary reference and color blends adding depth and complexity to design. The heartbeat of my felt work is my love of metaphor, movement, and abstraction. I am grateful to share this work in the context of what came before it.

1st image of series,"Light Tracings." Oil paint on toned gelatin silver print, 1978