Felted Yarns

Katy Small is a Yorkshire textile artist who creates expressive felted landscapes inspired by the changing skies, rolling hills and rich textures of the British countryside. Originally from the Mourne Mountains in Northern Ireland, she has lived in Yorkshire for almost 30 years, drawing inspiration from both landscapes and the subtle beauty of hedgerows, grasses and wild places.

Working primarily with fine merino wool, Katy uses traditional wet felting techniques to build richly layered textile artwork. She blends fibres much like a painter blends colour, adding silk and other natural fibres to create depth, movement and texture. Rather than reproducing a particular view, she creates atmospheric pieces that capture the feeling, light and mood of a landscape.

Katy's creative journey has taken her through theatre prop and costume making, fine art, sculpture, millinery and textiles. Alongside creating her own work, she has spent more than twenty years teaching art, textiles and design, continuing to develop both her technical skills and distinctive artistic voice.

Every artwork begins as a sketch or painting before evolving through layers of hand-laid fibres. The wool often develops in unexpected ways during the felting process, giving each piece its own unique character.

Today, Katy creates original felted textile landscapes that celebrate colour, texture and the natural world, inviting viewers to pause, reflect and discover their own connection with the scene.

Alongside her landscape art, Katy also creates accessories from felt, such as brooches and scarves, as well as products for the home.