KRIS GRENIER

TEXTILE ARTIST, Cynthiana, Kentucky

As an artist and backpacker, I explore the world on foot and record my memories in 100% wool feltings. In more than 7,500 miles of backcountry adventures, I've collected countless photographs, sketches, and stories that inform and inspire my art practice. Through fiber art, I recreate, reimagine, and celebrate my experiences so that I may share with others the wild places I love.

My artistic adventures begin where my travels end: back at my family’s farm in rural Kentucky. Each of my felted pieces starts as raw wool, which we carefully hand-shear off our pet sheep and transform into a durable "canvas" of thick wool fabric. I then turn to the dyed wool that acts as my pigments, mixing a palette of colors with combs and a blending board. Using a specialized needle and a poking motion, I needle-felt a few strands of wool onto the fabric at a time and work in layers to create a finished product that emphasizes both form and color.

By employing the warm texture and soft lines of wool to create an expressive realism style, I endeavor to present each felted scene as the beloved memory it is. My focus is on large-format feltings that evoke the grandeur of expansive natural landscapes and transport viewers to the backcountry.

HONORS

Kentucky Crafted Artist • 2022 Kentucky Arts Council Emerging Artist Grant Recipient • Best of Show, Artclectic 2017 • Best of Show: Emerging Artist, 4 Bridges Arts Festival 2018 • Merit Award: First-Time Participant, Art on the Commons 2018 • Juror's Choice Award, EKU Student Showcase 2021