Hey, I'm Iliyana!

 I was drawn to create art from wool 15 years ago. Initially a fashion designer, I made clothes with felted elements like flowers and also with abstract designs bringing uniqueness to my creations. In the last nine years, I started exploring a new field of art by making pictures from wet felted wool. I literally “paint” by stacking layer upon layer of colored fibers that include Marino wool, silk, and viscose.  When an image is ready, I apply soapy water to it and then cover the image with plastic.  Next, I gently pressure the image and start gliding, rubbing and rolling it until the fibers stick together making felt.  Additionally, I may use a felting needle to clarify selected details or to create 3D effects.  The felted picture is then dried and hand stitched onto a cotton base fabric and stretched on wooden bars.  

 I am deeply fascinated by how vibrant the wool art is and how interesting it is to manipulate these fibers into a such a wide spectrum of possibilities from 3-D flowers, landscapes, and animals to vivid abstractions.  My art is an effort to explore the interconnectedness of all things as exemplified by the wool fibers themselves.  My inspiration comes from the Universe.  Albert Einstein said it best: 

​

 "A human being is a part of the whole, called by us "Universe," a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. Nobody is able to achieve this completely, but the striving for such achievement is in itself a part of the liberation and a foundation for inner security."