Sara Lee :

Sara's artwork is everything felted, including felt hats, felt neckpieces, felt sculptures and felt wall artwork.

Sara was our guest for the April 2008 First Friday event.

Events Info

Sara Lee, Felted Fiber Artist

"My artwork not only depicts the mystery of nature but also tells stories about the complexity and inter-relationships of life"

-Sara Lee

Biography:

I was born in Canada, and grew up around the Great Lakes. From an early age, I “felt” torn between pursuing art or science. As an honor’s student in high school, I took college classes in both art and science and tried to combine my two passions, by doing scientific illustrations and exhibit design. But in college, I chose to pursue science as my vocation and keep art mostly as my hobby. I received a B.S. in zoology and an M.S. in fisheries management, both at Michigan State University. Since then, my career path has meandered across the country and through fisheries research, environmental advocacy, natural resource management, and visitor services and education.

Throughout my life, art has continued to assert itself both in and out of my usual work for pay. Periodically, I have shown my artwork at shows, galleries, and museums. I have also incorporated my art within my daily work through creation of interpretive materials and exhibits. My two largest installations have included life-sized dioramas constructed out of fabric soft sculpture depicting Michigan river life and the red fir forest ecosystem of California.

About the Artwork :

I mostly work in felted fiber. Throughout life, I have dabbled in a variety of artistic mediums and sometimes include beading, embroidery and quilting. However, felting seems the most natural conduit for my creativity. Felting is the ancient tradition of using heat, lubricant, and friction to matt animal fibers into useful or decorative forms. It can be a very active art form requiring lots of “elbow grease” to coax the fibers into place. It also can be frustrating at times, as there is a great deal of uncertainty in the outcome... but that is the serendipity of the work. I think some of my best art pieces are those that were not planned, but instead seemed to emerge almost without my assistance.

Most of my art incorporates my knowledge and background in the natural sciences. As an artist and a biologist, I like to not only depict the beauty or mystery of nature but also tell ecological and mythological stories about the complexity and inter-relationships of life. I depict animals within their habitats and interactions among species. Often there are small touches and details that must be discovered by the viewer. I also explore the nature that is within all of us, biologically and culturally. I am personally interested in how human culture has been formed by the natural environment. Many of my art works hint at the influence of people on the environment and the environment on people.

Please note that the pieces shown are examples of Sara’s work. Please e-mail us to inquire about pricing or current availability of pieces.