Rosemary Oliver
Fibre Artist
Turtles of Ontario
There are 8 different turtles found in Ontario, all of which are at risk of extinction. Loss of habitat, death by road kill, pesticides and poaching are reducing their numbers at an alarming rate. Their individual differences, behaviours and interesting life cycles are fascinating and I have learned so much from studying each one. We need to protect these treasures of nature.
They are made of paper maché, wood, wire, fabric, stuffing, hand embroidery, hand painting and embellishments
Spotted turtle
Musk turtle
Painted turtle
Map turtle
Wood turtle
Blandings turtle
Spiny soft shell turtle
Snapping turtle Not for sale
From Sheep to Shawl
22in x 16in x 16in
This little sheep is spinning her own fleece into yarn, which is then being knitted into a shawl. Her name is Dilys which is Welsh for "Perfect, True or Reliable". She is mounted on a turntable so she can
easily be viewed from all aspects.
Not for sale
A Fortissimo of Frogs
26in x 14in x 12in
A discarded, damaged mandolin has a new life as the stage for a group of dynamic musical frogs. Each needle felted musician is seated on a little woolen stool on a lily pad. The enthusiastic conductor is following the musical score composed of frog’s eggs and tadpoles.
Hand dyed needle felted sheep wool, wire and embellishments
Not for sale
Bees
21in x 34in
Bees are critical to our existence as pollinators for food crops. The recent decline of bees and other pollinators is of much concern worldwide. This piece shows not only the familiar honey bees, but also 10 of the 800 different types of wild bee found in Canada.
Mixed fabrics, natural and hand dyed needle felted sheep wool, wire, paper piecing, quilting and embellishments
Not for sale
Green Men: Spring- Summer- Fall- Winter
17in diameter
You may have seen images of The Green Man around the world, crafted in materials such as stone, wood and metal. The Green Man is described in many ways but is essentially the Spirit of Nature and Fertility. These representations display the four seasons, the Spirits of Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter, which we in Canada have the good fortune to enjoy, with their particular colours and presentations. Each one is a character unto himself.
Paper maché, cotton fabric, hand stitching, machine quilting and embellishments
Not for sale
Evolution
44in x 44in
How has the world evolved? That is a big question with many theories. This depiction shows the development of the species from single cells through to the world we see now. Our sun is the framework. If you look closely at the four corners you will see the constellations of Ursa Major, Lyra, Pisces and Orion
Cotton fabric, embellishments and hand and machine quilting
Yaa Asantewaa
20in x 14in x 12in
This is my first doll and was created under the excellent tuition of Martha Brown. When I started her I didn’t know who she would be, but along the way, she took on a personality and became someone from history. Yaa Asantewaa was a great Ashanti Warrior Queen who in 1900 led the Ashanti rebellion known as the War of the Golden Stool, against British colonialism in Ghana, West Africa. She is seated on an Ashanti stool which is a symbol of nationhood. The stool she is sitting on was brought back from Ghana by my brother in law who was working there as an engineer in a gold mine.
Fabric, hand and machine stitching and embellishments
Dora
13in x 22in
Dora was made for my friend Eleanor, who kept asking me to bring a fleece alive in the form of a sheep. The background is a simple jute and spun wool weaving. Dora is created from Border Leicester Sheep Fleece with padded fabric ears and face and hand drawn and coloured features
Jute warp, spun wool weft, sheep fleece, cotton fabric, batting and backing material
Gift
In Flanders Fields
1914 – 2014
44in x 23in
As we commemorate one hundred years since the outbreak of World War 1 we are reminded of its terrible impact on Canada and on all the families who lost loved ones. 400,000 Canadians served overseas in the Great War and 66,000 never returned.
The famous poem “In Flanders Fields” was written by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae who was born in Guelph, Ontario.
Donated to: John McCrae Public School, Scarborough
Little Brown Bats
36in x 23in x 12in
Bats are important but often maligned mammals which have declined in number dramatically in North America over the past few years, due to White-Nose Syndrome, habitat loss, pesticide use and death, during migration, from wind turbines. This piece was made to raise awareness about these amazing creatures and, with the accompanying information sheets, to improve knowledge and understanding of the threats and benefits of bats and how we can help them.
Not for sale
Polar Bears
The polar bears, walrus and seal are all made from needle felted sheep wool.
Polar bears are under threat from global warming and reducing sea ice, pollution and hunting.
Not for sale
The Greener Way to Travel
The wheels of the bicycles are based on the designs used in Dorset Buttons. Handmade buttons for men’s shirts and ladies dresses was a big industry in Dorset, England in the mid 1800s.
The frame is a bicycle tire and a sprocket makes up the centre.
Sold
Tactile Rooster
15in diameter
This Rooster has been created so that individuals with visual impairment can feel the many different textures of fibre, fabric, beads and buttons that have been used to make this tactile wall hanging.
It is hanging on the wall in the accessible apartment at WindReach Farm.
Donated