Temple Fawcett’s craft work began when she retired in 1992, and has evolved over the intervening years. Although she minored in art in college and taught art in elementary school for several years, she did very little art-making until that time. She has always loved fabric and started making cloth dolls with many leftovers from sewing projects. She learned to make felt by chance, having been introduced to it by Beth Beede, a highly skilled and original feltmaker, who, Temple says, “has nursed me along ever since”.
Both traditional wet felting and needle felting are used in Temple’s work, with the pieces frequently combining these techniques. The “dolls” have heads sculpted by needle felting, often having arms and legs of found twigs. She also makes entirely needle felted figures. In her latest work, bird-like figures also combine felt and twigs.
Temple states that she seldom has a preconception of who the person will be or what the bird will be like when she begins. Her greatest pleasure comes from the needle felting process of sculpting the heads and faces of her figures which begins to develop the personality. The character is also implied from the form of the found twigs. She uses traditionally felted or other material for clothing, often embellished with beads and jewelry.
Temple Fawcett,114 Pleasant Street, Fairhaven, MA 02719
Mission Statement
