Felter & Fiber Artist Marina Rheault Post
BIO
Rheault Post has shown internationally and nationally and has been awarded both international and national residencies. She teaches groups as well as privately and has offered felting at various schools to ages 4-13 internationally and locally in Chicago. She has offered works to many fundraising auctions since 1997.
A bit about me
Curious by nature and distracted by the possibilities in life, as well as ingrained with a need to work with my hands towards a productive end, I have had a lifelong love of using my hands to create. As a child I "made things" as a mode of self-occupation/play. I began exploring mixed media working with textiles, broken car glass, and found objects in the early 1990’s. I discovered felt in 2011 and fell in love. I work with raw fibers (wool, alpaca, silk) exploring 2D and 3D sculptural art:.
I'm largely self-taught, although as my felting practice has progressed I've found it necessary to ask for mentorship or take masterclasses to further my skill set. Each work is an assemblage of disparate pieces which call to be together. The larger whole, the synergy, may express landscapes – real or imagined – or may simply be an association of parts which ask to be acknowledged. There is an order from chaos in the deliberate placing of shapes and colors together.
The process is one of listening, allowing myself to “be” with the materials and see what colors or fabrics ask to be used. There is a longer process of deciding on shapes, colors, other elements of dimensionality such as thoughts of openings, shelves, lumps and bumps, etc. Then positioning and repositioning these elements until a balance is achieved. At that point wetting and soaping begin — at this stage the pieces begin to coalesce; sometimes the work is left to dry to see if other transformations are wanted — there may be additions, over-layers, embellishments, or other alterations, exposing layers, or adding texture. The final Felting begins wherein the parts become permanently entwined and the final shape is determined.
CV
Education
Art Education: Self-taught
1988-1989 Harvard University Cambridge, MA Graduate studies in Chinese language & history
1982-1986 University of Maine Orono, ME B.A. Psychology (Magna Cum Laude)
Exhibitions
Solo
2022 Oliva Gallery - Chicago, IL
2018 Ocean House Gallery Cape Elizabeth, ME
2017 Oliva Gallery - Chicago, IL
2011 Blueberry View AR - Benton Harbor, MI
Group
2019 August House Studio - Chicago, IL
2019 Oliva Gallery - Chicago, IL
2018 Kilgraney House/ Clasheen Kilkenny,Ireland
2017 Textílsetur Íslands – Blönduós, Iceland
Residencies
2017 Textílsetur Íslands – Blönduós, Iceland
2011 Blueberry View Artists Residency