Laura Berman
http://www.lauragberman.com

As a child I was infatuated with fabric and yarns--and also consistent--I followed this thread with hand sewing classes, creating outfits and costumes, and conjuring up textile science projects in grade school. 

This same passion was pursued at Oregon State University for my undergraduate degree where I studied apparel and textiles. After 20 years of valuable but unrelated career detours, I returned to OS for a masters degree in Clothing and Human Behavior. Since then, I’ve built an art studio where I create, develop and explore new techniques, and also teach felting classes.

About 12 years ago I was captivated with altering (shrinking) wool yardage and clothing in the washer and dryer. That interest morphed into handfelting--working the wool fiber by hand with heat, water, soap, and friction--to create a strong, meshed material called felt.

I’m constantly looking for ways to expand my experience with felting. At this point in time, I am still playing with new ideas for quirky 3-D sculptures and transforming 2-D designs into functional art with texture, character, and warmth.