Studio Narcisse Noir



Studio Narcisse Noir

About The Artist

Mary Turpin • Brentwood, MD
Fiber and Textiles - Homegoods

I make wearable art to adorn people and also to adorn their homes. I am fortunate to have a separate studio to make whatever I envision for a piece. I wet felt in the traditional manner of using wool roving, soap, water and agitation. I nuno felt by adding silk and silk gauze, sari waste, ribbons and other natural materials. I weave using a Saori loom for freeform pieces. I hand dye my fibers and finished pieces using natural plants and material. I have always been an artist, first as a classical musician and for the last 10 years working in the fiber arts. My inspiration comes from my surroundings. A blue sky at dusk tinged with a blush of pink, a Brahms melody, the smell of the ocean. My travels around the globe with the myriad sounds of cultural differences and sameness influence all that I am and all that I create.



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Q&A with the Artist

Tell us how your work is made.

All of my work is made in my studio by me using locally sourced merino wool, imported silk. My felt is made by hand, I weave on a Saori loom, and some adornments are machine embroidered by me. All of my dyeing is done by hand using all natural plants and Japanese mineral dyes.


What makes you passionate about the medium you work with?

I love the feel of lush silk and soft natural merino wool as they mesh together in the wet felting process. The rhythmic rolling and turning of seemingly random materials has a certain characteristic of music being composed. I weave using a Saori loom which allows for not only freeform art but also a use for bits and pieces of yarn, silk,roving so there is a �no waste� of materials component to creating a new piece. I embellish my fibers with natural materials such as cork, sea glass beads, silk paper and eco print using plants and leaves.

What is something unique about you or your practice?

I bring a blending of cultures into each piece of wearable clothing that I make whether it is Shibori dyeing to an African headscarf or using Andinkra symbols on holiday ornaments.