"Salmon Rising" - my latest picture

​This is my newest picture called Salmon Rising. This piece is for sale for £525 (framed) and measures 16” x 16” (without frame.) The image is also available in the form of a 12” x 12” Limited Edition giclee print or a 7.5” x 7.5” Open Edition giclee print. The image will also shortly be available in the form of a greetings card.  
What inspired this piece - We are lucky enough to live in Northumberland between the River Tweed and the River Tyne.  At this time of year salmon can be seen swimming up both rivers and their tributaries to return to the place where they were born, in order to breed. In many places the fish have to really battle and jump to get upstream over fast flowing waterfalls. This picture is inspired by this event and also Japanese prints of fish.  I also really enjoyed the challenge of portraying the rushing movement of the water and the drama of the event.
My technique - As ever this piece was gradually built up by hand using a technique called needle felting to felt together a collage of Harris Tweed pieces. The details are then added with various wool yarns, using the same technique. Each piece takes between 30 and 40 hours to make.
About Harris Tweed - Harris Tweed is a unique heritage fabric that is still hand-woven by crofters in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland from 100% pure new wool. People often associate Harris Tweed with drab, naturalistic hunting colours, but it is now available in a wide range of beautiful colours and patterns. I just love this very special fabric and have built up a really inspiring palette of vintage and contemporary tweeds over the years to create my work with.