Biography and Felt Gallery
Cheryl Benda, fiber artist, felt
maker and proprietor of Wild Turkey Felt Woolworks became fascinated with fiber/textile arts at a very early
age having been given a loom and spinning wheel, by her grandmother. Her
journey has been “sheep to shawl” so to speak. After moving to
the Sempronius woodlands in Central New York Finger Lakes Region, USA with her husband, canine and feline companions, she
became shepherdess to a fiber-producing flock of sheep/wool, angora
rabbits, mohair goats, llamas and alpacas. She explored handspinning,
weaving, dying, sewing, stitch and knitting until the late 1990’s
when she found her way to the art of felt making after meeting/studying
with international felt maker, Polly Stirling, and the unlimited potential
of felt as a serious creative medium became her passion.
She is a current member of the Northeast Feltmakers Guild and continues to study with numerous respected felt
makers, seeking and discovering new and endless possibilities of this
versatile medium. Cheryl finds inspiration from, nature, art, patterns,
color, water, rocks, trees, geological land formations and even
architecture.
Her latest work:
  
“Tree Of Life”
Life in the woodlands of Sempronius
is a magical place. With
each new season, every window pane in my home is bursting with inspiration. When the Northeastern Feltmakers Guild members were asked to make felt for a group
exhibition entitled “Creation Myths” I knew mine had to incorporate
trees. Not only do I live among
the trees, my home is made with trees.
According to the Encyclopedia
Britannica, the tree of knowledge, connecting heaven and the underworld,
and the tree of life, connecting all forms of creation, are both forms of
the “world tree” or “cosmic tree”. According to some scholars, the tree
of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil, portrayed in various
religions and philosophies, are the same tree. Various trees of life are
recounted in folklore, culture and fiction, often relating to immortality
or fertility.
As viewed through the window
panes of my log home, this portrayal of the “Tree Of Life”
symbolizes an amalgamation of God, family and immortality.
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Made
during a 6-day Master Class at Snow Farm, Williamsburg, MA
making large, strong felts with Roderick Welch and Karoliina Arvilommi.
Visit www.4felts.com to
see their work.
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Group photos taken during a 3-day Bloomfelt
workshop with Marjolein Dallinga. The focus was on experiments with
the sculptural qualities of the felt medium.
Visit www.bloomfelt.com to see Marjolein’s
work.
These were my finished experiments.
  
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Nuno Felt Jacket and Scarf
  
Square Bottom Beauty Amethyst
Urn Charming
Vessel Bag
Wild Turkey Felt Woolworks
Australian Merino
Wool Top PRICE LIST
To Contact Cher ...
e-mail: info@wildturkeyfeltwoolworks.com
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