- April 19, 2024
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Whether working as a graphic artist, creating unique jewelry or teaching elementary school art classes, arts and crafts have always been a part of Liz Canali’s life.
The Flagler Beach artist owns Canali Designs with her husband, Al Canali. While working on a computer every day, she was looking for a hands-on creative outlet several years ago and rediscovered fiber arts.
She works with wool and embellishment fibers to create felt sculpture and wall art. Her felt art will be displayed in the show, “I Felt So Many things,” at Expressions Art Gallery on Colbert from Sept. 25 to Nov. 5. An opening reception, with music performed by her husband is scheduled from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Sept. 25.
Canali says her latest wall pieces and felt light shades are made with the Florida climate in mind.
Felt is sustainable, renewable, biodegradable and an excellent insulator of heat and sound, she says in her bio. It is also anti-static, non-allergenic, self-extinguishing, a controller of humidity and an absorber of pollutants, she adds.
“Watching a bunch of baby turtles running toward the sea, imaging what the deep ocean holds, the fish and birds, the sky and the plants that surround me, are all part of what I feel when I’m felting.”
— LIZ CANALI
“These intrinsic properties help to maintain a healthy interior that is pleasant to live in,” Canali says.
in her artist statement, she says she is often inspired by color, but seeing the colored fiber online and then holding it are different experiences.
“I’ll make small samples to see how (the colors) work together and then get inspired,” she says. “The same happens with textures and techniques. I play with resists, layering and manipulating the wool when it’s wet for wet felting or dry for needle felting. I often use both techniques in the same piece. I see what happens when I’m experimenting and decide how I can incorporate that into my work.”
Canali says she is inspired by the books she reads, the TV shows she watches and the conversations she has as well as the ever-changing beach she observes on her walks.
“Watching a bunch of baby turtles running toward the sea, imaging what the deep ocean holds, the fish and birds, the sky and the plants that surround me, are all part of what I feel when I’m felting,” she says.
Canali is on the support staff at Salmon Falls Gallery in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts. Her hats, scarves, vessels and lights are sold there. She is a member of the St. Augustine Art Association and The Ormond Memorial Art Museum. She teaches art workshops and classes ranging from introduction to intermediate and advanced levels.
