Sheep wool is amazing material! It is like clay — you could create everything from it — clothes, shoes, jewelry, bags, sculptures, rugs, light objects! Northern people are still living in special houses named yurts, made of wool!

My great grandparents in Russia survived through WW2 because they had small family business of making felted boots called valenki.

I always remember that, so when my family moved to a very old and very cold house, I started my own felt journey — to help myself to live comfortably, wearing handmade sheep wool slippers. And that’s work!

Since then I learned a lot about all types of sheep and their wool, found local farms, where people raise sheep, learned many techniques and developed my skills.

Felting is my true love, my passion and Ikigai — it helps me to get up every morning and feel happy!

 My felted pieces are beautiful to look at, comfortable to wear and fun to create! I am pretty sure that it is my life mission — to be felt artist, to create unique OOAK things and educate people about benefits of natural wool, processes of transforming sheep “coat” into colourful, warm, healthy and joyful pieces of ART

YULIA GOLDBERG ARTIST BIO

I was born as a creative person in Russia. All my life I have been doing arts and crafts, but in the last 12 years in America I have been hooked on endless opportunities, which natural sheep wool gives. I learned a lot of techniques through online and personal master classes of the best feltmakers, I am a member of a few international schools of fibers and felt.

 I live in a beautiful Oregon — ocean, rivers, waterfalls, parks, wild birds and animals are around me. And it is my inspiration to make art objects, to fill them with colours and light of the simple things of the world.

I had a solo exhibition — felted wall hangings dedicated to amazing places in the Northwest.

I have different kinds of my felt to enjoy in galeries on the coast and in Beaverton, I am teaching kids and adults how to work with real sheep wool, to make interesting things out of it and telling them stories about felting — the oldest craft, people in many countries keep doing.

Also I love to bring my creations to fairs, craft shows and other events to make people happy!