What are
Fiber-Integrated Oil Paintings?
Where Paint and Fiber Become One
My fiber-integrated oil paintings combine layered oil painting with hand-dyed natural fibers that emerge directly from the painted surface. The result is work that exists between painting and sculpture—inviting viewers to experience color, texture, movement, and story in new ways.
What Makes Them Different?
Most paintings create the illusion of texture.
Fiber-integrated oil paintings incorporate actual fiber into the artwork itself. Hand-dyed wool, alpaca, mohair, and other natural fibers become part of the composition, physically extending beyond the painted plane.
Rather than serving as embellishment, the fiber is integrated into the visual language of the piece—adding dimension, atmosphere, and presence.
Detail from Carried in Color, a fiber-integrated oil painting
Why Fiber?
For nearly three decades, I lived and worked alongside animals including alpacas, sheep, goats, and other fiber-producing animals. Over time, I became fascinated by the individuality contained within every fleece.
As my artistic practice evolved, I began incorporating these fibers into my artwork—not simply as material, but as a way to carry memory, connection, and presence into each piece.
No two animals grow fiber exactly alike. Differences in texture, luster, crimp, and character create materials that are as unique as the animals themselves.
As my artistic practice evolved, I began incorporating these fibers into my artwork—not simply as material, but as a way to carry memory, connection, and presence into each piece. Many of the fibers I use can be traced to specific animals, creating a tangible link between the finished artwork and the lives that helped shape it.
Fiber allows me to work beyond the painted surface, bringing together color, texture, atmosphere, and story in ways paint alone cannot achieve.
Working with hand-dyed natural fibers in the studio. Many fibers used in my artwork can be traced to specific animals and flocks.
“No two animals grow fiber exactly alike. The individuality of each animal becomes part of the artwork itself.”
Why Provenance Matters
Many of my fiber-integrated artworks incorporate materials with known histories and origins. Some fibers come from animals I raised and cared for over nearly three decades, while others connect to particular places, experiences, and moments in time.
In many cases, I know exactly where a fiber originated—sometimes down to an individual animal. Those connections become part of the artwork itself, adding layers of meaning that extend beyond color, texture, and form.
For collectors, provenance offers a deeper understanding of the materials and stories woven into each piece.
A lock of Teeswater wool, a strand of Suri alpaca fiber, or a treasured textile fragment may carry its own history, becoming part of a larger narrative of memory, place, and connection.
Rather than remaining hidden, these histories are invited into the work, creating tangible links between the finished artwork and the lives, landscapes, and experiences that helped shape it.
Meet Wilbur
His distinctive Teeswater wool appears in select fiber-integrated artworks, creating a direct connection between the finished artwork and the animal who grew the fiber.
“Every fiber carries a history. Provenance allows that history to remain part of the artwork.”
Watch the Process
Fiber-integrated oil paintings evolve through layers of paint, stitching, fiber placement, and surface development. This short studio video offers a glimpse into how paint and fiber come together during the creative process.
Explore the Collection
Original Artwork Rooted in Memory, Nature, and Story
Fiber-integrated oil paintings combine layered oil painting with hand-dyed natural fibers that emerge from the painted plane. Many works include materials with known histories and origins, creating connections that extend beyond the finished image.
Browse available artworks to discover pieces that speak to your own experiences, memories, and sense of connection.
Address
Studio 176, Essex Studios
2511 Essex Place, Cincinnati OH 45246
Hours by appointment
Text
+1 (859) 462-2344
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