Ronel Jordaan
Felt maker
Simon's Town, Cape Town, South Africa
Loose fibres, solid forms
- Ronel works with different natural wools and organic materials
- Her practice combines wet and needle felting, hand sewing and hand dyeing
- Each piece is built over internal moulds and can take several days to complete
Ronel Jordaan has worked in textiles since 1978, training at Silk and Textiles in Pretoria. She discovered felting in 2000, after hosting an art therapy session at an orphanage. Today, Ronel works with merino, karakul and mohair wool, dyeing, carding and building it up in layers over internal moulds using hot water and hand friction. The process is repeated until the piece is strong enough to stand alone, with individual elements joined by re-felting, needle felting or hand sewing, leaving no visible seam from any angle. Ronel's eco-treated decorative rocks, pebble forms, floral sculptures, tufted wall pieces and felted chairs span functional objects and fine art. Her practice also involves working in collaboration with other artists, and experimenting continuously with combinations of wool and other materials.
INTERVIEW
I discuss nature and how we take it for granted. I create objects drawn from the natural world, in the hope of producing the same response in people that being in nature does.
I always prioritise technique. I also use monoprinting as a ritual, playing with paint and a jelly plate, allowing another medium to lead me into a flow state before I begin.
I walk in the mountains every weekend, and I subconsciously take in a lot of inspiration. I often design to do one thing, but then end up doing something else entirely. My favourite pieces are always connected to nature.
I am always looking to expand my practice. Since 2020, I have moved toward fine art and non-functional work, while continuing to experiment with new material combinations, such as wool mixed with cement, resin, seaweed and recently, gelatine.
