Geri Forkner creates felted and woven works of art from her studio in Tennessee. She exhibits and teaches fiber arts internationally to both children and adults, is the recipient of an Artists-in-the-Schools grant, and is the dynamic force behind Tennessee Presents Textiles, a wearable-art style show. A member of the Southern Highland Craft Guild, Geri cherishes the old traditions and skills while using fibers in innovative ways.

Artist Statement

Working primarily as a problem solver, I look for ways to use “found objects” in new ways. Sometimes these projects make statements about the environment and our actions/ reactions to it. Finding inspiration in the patterns of nature, I work to understand the unique properties of the fibers I use in my pieces. This allows me to utilize each fiber type to its best advantage in a given structure or piece. By exploring a variety of techniques with differently structured medium – felting, weaving, machine stitching, and more – I am able to create expressive mixed media pieces inspired by my environment while retaining a sense of humor about my endeavors.

One of a series using recycled food containers, this hanging is made from leftover materials used during an Artist in Resident program I presented to elementary school students in the United States. The colorful papers used for the weft in this weaving are cut from empty powered drink mix containers. The drink mix contains food color that works as a dye for coloring the wool my students use in their weavings. The weft strips had to be laid in one at a time. Although I used a very non traditional material, I felt a connection with a world of weavers who are doing weft inlay for their traditional garments.

The first thing I did when I got home from getting a cast put on my broken ankle was to get out the paint so my granddaughter could decorate the cast. When my ankle healed I cut the cast into pieces and added weavings made from yarn I spun from the padding material the doctor used to wrap my leg before putting on the cast. This cast in disguise is a playful reminder to watch my step.

Daily Weaving

On Jan 1, 2005 I started making a 3” square weaving every day partly just to see where the project would take me. At the end of the year I knew I wasn't finished. Considering the space required for another 365 squares, I decided to embellish each one the following year. I thought the first year’s pieces were done too quickly to be finished works, but in working on them for a second time I found I was wrong. It became like life, what you do in the past is covered up by but also influences what you do next. And then there were the coincidences that happened...

Weaving with Nuno Felt

Nuno Felt attire inspired by Kudzu leaves

Art with Nuno Felt

Felted Scarves

Other works