Overflowing with gratitude (Fine Art Print)

Limited Edition FIne Art (Giclée) print from an original felt painting by Noelle Ferris.

The original was inspired by the Silent Valley. Living so close to this as a child, many Sunday afternoons were spent walking here and feeding the ducks. It is a truly beautiful and peaceful place.

The Silent Valley earned its name from the deafening silence that followed the continuous blasting during the construction of the dam, which drove away the once abundant birdlife.

Constructed between 1923 and 1933, the reservoir was a monumental undertaking that involved a workforce of over 1,000 men. Tragically, nine lives were lost during its construction. From 1947 to 1951, an additional 150 men worked tirelessly to tunnel beneath Slieve Binnian, including my grandfather, Sandy Heaney. Remarkably, he had the unique experience of working at both ends of the tunnel and eventually became a Shift Boss on the Silent Valley Heading. This tunnel was crucial in carrying water from the Annalong valley to the Silent Valley Dam, meeting the ever-growing demands for Belfast's water supply. Presently, it serves as a primary water source for County Down, surrounding areas, and much of Belfast.

As the century is marked this year (2023) since the commencement of the reservoir's construction, we can be grateful that the birds and other wildlife have returned to this thriving ecosystem. The Silent Valley stands as a testament to human ingenuity and the power of nature's resilience.

Felted paintings are made primarily from wool, but other fibres such as bamboo and silk, along with Angelina, can be added.

To start, the artist needs to create the canvas by laying out multiple layers of undyed wool tops, overlapping them like tiles. Then, all the different colours required for the design need to be mixed using hand carders. The top coloured layer forms the design.

It is then wet felted by hand, using hot soapy water, and fulled (shrunk) by rolling the piece hundreds of times. After that, it is left to dry. During the wet felting process, the design will shrink.

Following wet felting, many hours of needle felting are required to add detail and fix any distortions that may have occurred during the wet felting process. Needle felting involves simply taking a few strands of wool fibre and stabbing them into the felted design using a felting needle.

Additionally, free motion embroidery by sewing machine and hand embroidery can be added.

This giclée print is produced from a high-resolution scan of the original felt painting, using quality ultra-chrome pigment inks. It is printed on pH-neutral heavyweight art paper.

The print image size is 12"x 8" and is mounted with an acid-free mountboard (16"x12") in size. It is packaged in a cellophane bag.

This design has a limited print run of 250. All prints are numbered, titled and signed by Noelle.