Chris Liszak - felt artist, and wearable art designer
Chris works her felt magic in the Niagara region of Ontario, Canada. She discovered felting in 2010, and has been captivated by the fibre medium since. She began producing wearable art, and selling through a local shop, branching out into artisan markets, and eventually teaching and spreading the joy of wool fibre and soap. She has several art pieces in permanent collections, and her art has been shown in galleries around Niagara and southern Ontario.
Hand crafting has been a huge part of life for Chris. Sewing since a young child, she added knitting in her University years, and often wears her custom sewn clothes paired with knitwear. She creates her own knitting patterns, and blogs about them here. She also made wedding dresses as a business when her kids were young to allow her to stay home with the little ones.
The introduction to felting came when her knitting friends got together to experiment with nunofelt by making scarves with fabric and merino wool. After making a couple more scarves in her own home, she made enough felt yardage to sew her first coat. After that there was no stopping her.
Chris began producing more wearable art, honing the technique until the results were reliable and creative. By now, there were so many garments and scarves that a retail outlet was required to find homes for the growing inventory.
Pamela's in Jordan Village, across the road from the Fibre Garden, was a natural fit. Pam loved the nunofelt scarves and sold lots of them that first winter, adding coats as well to her winter stock. They paired well with the eclectic modern style of her fashions.
Retailing through Pamela's allowed Chris to continue to create felt goods, and try new designs. She also entered her first "call for artists" and was accepted to create a custom artwork in felt for the Region of Niagara building in Thorold, Ontario. It was a test of skills, finding a way to make a huge six feet by two feet depiction of a green apple tree.
At this time, at friends' requests, she began teaching others to felt. First in her own studio, later at the larger Fibre Garden location in Jordan Village. Teaching became a favourite activity with each class a bit different due to the mix of students. There were several requests for guest demonstrations at guild meetings, and guest workshop instructor at conferences, and team building events around southern Ontario.
A few more gallery exhibits interspersed the teachings and the inventory creations. Felting was firmly entrenched in the lifestyle of Chris Liszak.
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Chris lives in Niagara Falls with her husband Rick, and puppy Rufus.
memberships:
felt :: feutre canada
SAQA
Fiber Art Network
International Feltmakers Association
Exhibitions:
2012
Permanent Exhibit, Niagara Region Region Offices
2014
City Hall, Fabrication (fibre art gallery installation)
2015
Ontario Spinners and Weavers Show, Art Gallery of Burlington
2016
2018
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2020
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2021
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2021
​Fibre Content - Art Gallery of Burlington
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Fibre Content - Art Gallery of Burlington
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Colour with a U, Homer Watson Gallery, Kitchener
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ReConnect, online, International Feltmakers Association
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Resilience, a juried gallery City Hall St. Catharines, ON
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