Visual Arts | What's New

Carol Biddle’s Sculptural Leap: Exploring New Dimensions in Fiber Art

A portrait of a woman with short, light brown hair, wearing a textured sweater in warm tones. She stands against a background of her abstract felt artwork in orange and gold hues.

Carol Biddle is entering the new year with a 3-D step forward in her artistic journey: a deeper exploration of sculptural forms. Known for her intricate felted artworks that meld traditional techniques with abstract painterly perspectives, Biddle is now venturing beyond two-dimensional surfaces to create vessels and multi-sided objects. “Sculptural work allows me to explore felt-making in a new way,” she says. “By wrapping wool fibers around complex resists, I’m discovering exciting possibilities for shape and texture.”

Biddle first began working with fiber arts at the age of ten, when she learned to knit and sew from her mother, a home economics teacher in Southern Indiana. She studied textile/clothing and painting at Indiana State University, and then came to the University of Utah for graduate degree in arts administration. After retiring from a 30-year career in nonprofit administration and fundraising in 2016, she discovered felt-making through a workshop in California. She says she was “immediately drawn to its tactility, history, biodegradable nature, complex techniques, and endless potential to manipulate texture, pattern, color, and shape. Felt-making seemed to meld all of my interests in sewing, knitting, painting, drawing and design.”

The process of layering loose wool fibers, adding exotic embellishments such as silk, bamboo, and flax, and using warm water, soap, and physical manipulation to create cohesive surfaces has become the cornerstone of her work. She often incorporates embroidery, knitted or fabric swatches, semi-precious stones, glass beads, and found objects into her finished pieces, adding depth and complexity.

Biddle’s work is deeply inspired by nature, with visual references ranging from the Great Salt Lake to thermal geysers and lichen patterns on rocks. “Each piece begins with a specific visual reference, even though it will never result in a literal representation,” she explains. However, her influences are not limited to the natural world. Urban textures such as faded graffiti and streaks of slurry seal on streets also play a role in her creative process, hinting at asemic writing and abstract narratives.

Recently, Biddle has found herself drawn to the historical and familial dimensions of textiles. “I inherited treasures from my mother’s family—crocheted doilies, blouse collars, snippets of ribbon, handmade lace, and thousands of buttons,” she shares. “These pieces tell a story of family, time spent in private thought, and creative productivity, and they are beginning to find their way into my felt-making.”

Biddle’s artistic influences span both contemporary and historic artists. Contemporary fiber artists such as Gladys Paulus, Marjolein Dallinga, Sarah Waters, Claudy Jongstra, and Jennifer Davies inspire her, as do historic figures like Gunta Stölzl, Cy Twombly, Arshile Gorky, Paul Klee, Gustav Klimt, Emilie Flöge, and Wassily Kandinsky.

For Biddle, 2025 is shaping up to be a year of growth and innovation. As she continues to incorporate personal and historical narratives into her work and expand her practice into sculptural realms, her artistry promises to offer fresh perspectives on the timeless medium of felt-making.

A monochromatic diptych in shades of black and white, showcasing contrasting textures and details. The left panel displays a textured surface with fine lines and embedded shapes, while the right panel features darker tones with subtle, organic shapes and patterns.

Carol Biddle, “All Things Being Equal”

See more of the artist’s work at https://www.instagram.com/carolbiddle.feltfiber

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2 replies »

  1. Textile Art is having its moment in the art world. It is being elevated from a label of decorative, craft, or domestic arts. It’s good to see more textiles being highlighted here in Utah.

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