Jessica’s artwork is created through the process of needle felting, a method similar to that of tattooing. Rather than using ink, her medium is unspun wool. Using a barbed needle tool, the wool is forced into a fabric backing, which serves as a canvas. Recently, Jessica has begun wet felting the backgrounds of her artwork, a process where wool fibers are bound together through agitation with soap and water to form a firm, felted canvas. Needle-felted details are then added to create an almost three-dimensional look in her wool paintings.
Jessica’s artwork has been exhibited in shows at the Mayo Performing Arts Center, as well as Arts on Main Gallery in Rockaway. Her piece, Rainbow Lorikeet, was included in “Felt: Fibers Transformed” in the Summer 2022 issue of Fiber Arts Now magazine. She was also featured on Morris County Artists Network’s website as its August 2022, “Artist of the Month”.
She is regularly commissioned to create animals and landscapes with wool and specializes in pets. Her artwork can also be viewed on Instagram: @jrlcavaliere.