Lynn Guina

Creativity has been a strong influencer in many aspects of my life. At 5 years old I started making outfits for my dolls and kittens. Having kittens hopping, jumping and scratching their way down my little runway gave a whole new meaning to a catwalk!  Drawing, painting, sculpting, and glass fusion classes, taken through the University of Saskatchewan Certificate of Art and Design USCAD program, were both fun and frustrating. I did not feel at home in that program till one weekend Elizabeth Babyn introduced me to the art of making felt. Felt making became an instant obsession with the overwhelming need to learn as much as I could. I feel fortunate to learn through online classes from world renowned felt makers in England, France, Hungary, Ukraine, Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, USA, and with Canada’s treasure, Fiona Duthie. 

For the past 13 years I have been working primarily with wet felting. The mind boggling number of complex ways with which one can use this medium is fascinating. Being able to blend colours, create texture and 3D forms is very exhilarating. Layering in some fabrics, plant fibres and unusual recycled materials opens up a whole other way to work with felt. My favourite parts of using this medium are… conceptualizing the design, doing all the mathematical calculations required to determine start and end size, problem solving along the way, and the final shaping of a fulled piece. I add complexity to my pieces through colour, surface design and more recently, 3D applications. I love exploring new ways to add texture to my work. My pieces are one of a kind, rich in texture with a complex use of colour and crafted with a high level of skill.

White Series – New Works for this Show 800 hours

In February 2024, I registered in Fiona Duthie’s online illumination class. I went a bit off script in that class creating the lamp: Morning Coffee on our Deck. I fell in love with working with white merino and mulberry papers.  When Adele asked me to consider being a guest artist for her November 2024 Threads show, I knew I wanted to limit myself to a white palette. My previous pieces were primarily wearables and for this show I wanted to create a new body of work that really challenged me. The design’s focus is on line, form, and function. In addition, by working primarily with 3D forms, I was able to utilize the gradient of shadows to create the essence of colour. I hoped that working in whites would be a complement to my need to add complex and often unnecessary details. I did eventually end adding tiny bits of pale earth-coloured plant fibres and small amounts of silks to add some depth to highlight the shadows. 

My Woodland Series is comprised of four panels, five mini sample design studies and one rock wall hanging. Working in this series has not been for the faint of heart. The panel layout is very large 42”x80” and time consuming, as well as requiring me to maintain unnatural body postures for extended periods of time. During the fulling stage, the piece is full of water and can weigh as much as 30 lbs.  The rolling stage is extremely physical. Some days I would do my rolling outside in 30 degree temperatures. Each panel is hand rolled over 4,000 times with constant checking and reshaping.  I challenged myself to create one panel a month.

The white series also contains a pieces from my private collection: two garments and a soft sculpture rooster.