Free Radical Fiber Arts

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Free Radical Fiber Arts

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Fiber-integrated oil paintings and dimensional fiber art rooted in animal provenance. Each fiber holds a memory.

Using fibers from animals I have raised & known, I create work where fiber becomes part of the structure, emerging from the painted surface. Working with fibers from animals I have raised and known, including Suri alpaca, Teeswater wool, and mohair, I create work where fiber becomes part of the structure, emerging from the painted surface.

10/08/2026

𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝘆 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗰𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝘂𝗽.

𝘉𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 went home with the winner of my LOOK CLOSER giveaway, and she sent me this photo of it settled into her space.

I love seeing it there, not isolated against a studio wall, but becoming part of a place she already loves, tucked into a collection of meaningful objects with the lake just outside.

That feels important to me.

Artwork changes a little once it leaves the studio. The light is different. The objects around it are different. You pass it at different angles throughout the day.

And with a piece like this, even the fiber changes depending on where you're standing. From the front it reads as part of the image. From the side, you suddenly realize how far it actually moves out from the surface.

That's part of what I hope happens when one of my pieces finds its place. It doesn't give you everything in a single glance. There's still something to notice later. 💜

𝘉𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩
Fiber-Integrated Oil Painting

10/07/2026

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘁 𝗸𝗲𝗽𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗹𝗲.

That was one of the clearest things I noticed at the Hyde Park Square Art Show on Sunday.

People would be walking past, catch sight of one of them, stop, and come closer. Sometimes they brought someone else back with them. The horse did that too.

And then something interesting happened.

The first reaction was often to the color, the dimensional fiber, or simply trying to figure out what they were looking at.

But once people stayed a little longer, the conversations shifted.

Over the weekend, one person told me, “I like art that is meaningful.”

Another said, “Sometimes artwork reminds you of people you love, and that’s how your booth makes me feel.”

Those comments have stayed with me.

Because that movement, from noticing something unusual to finding something personally meaningful in it, is exactly what I hope can happen with my work.

Sometimes the fiber is what makes someone stop.

But the story, memory, or connection may be what makes them stay. 💜

𝗛𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲?

10/06/2026

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗽𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆.

Up close, you might first notice the painted trees.

Then the view changes.

𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻'𝘁 𝘆𝗮𝗿𝗻.

They're individual locks of Suri alpaca fiber, and these are especially fine cria pencil locks, the naturally pencil-like spirals of fiber from a young alpaca.

Not every cria grows fiber this way, and these particular locks can only exist before the first shearing. Once those original cria tips are cut, they can never grow quite like this again.

I can dye and arrange the fiber, but that structure came from the animal who grew it..

And as the fiber moves out from the painted surface, the artwork changes depending on where you're standing and how the light reaches it.

That's one of the things I love about bringing these materials together. 💜

𝗕𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗹𝘂𝗲
𝘍𝘪𝘣𝘦𝘳-𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘖𝘪𝘭 𝘗𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 | 8" x 10" including mat | Available

10/03/2026

Day two of my four-art-events-in-three-days experiment. 😂

Today is one I’m especially happy to be part of.

I’m at Gettin’ Artsy for Wildlife in Glendale today, with art, artists, and a cause that matters enormously to me: helping support local wildlife rehabilitation.

Animals have been part of my life for as long as I can remember. I’ve raised them, cared for them, watched them closely, talked to them (yes, including the fish 😂), and increasingly found them making their way into my artwork.

So bringing my work to an event that also helps animals feels like a particularly good fit. 💜

I’m here until 3 pm today.

And then, because apparently I really did commit to this schedule, I’ll head back to Studio 176 at Essex Studios from 6–10 tonight for the second night of the Art Walk. 😂

If you’re out and about in Cincinnati today, come say hi!

10/02/2026

𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗼 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗺𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗿-𝗮𝗿𝘁-𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀-𝗶𝗻-𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲-𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁! 😂

At some point, this apparently seemed like a perfectly reasonable thing to schedule.

It starts tonight! My studio at Essex Studios will be open for the Art Walk tonight and Saturday evening from 6–10 pm. I'm in 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼 𝟭𝟳𝟲, and there are quite a few fiber-integrated oil paintings waiting on the walls for you.

Then Saturday morning I head to Glendale for 𝗚𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻' 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝘀𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲, an event especially close to my heart because it benefits local wildlife rehabilitation. 💜

And Sunday, I'll have a full booth at the 𝗛𝘆𝗱𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗦𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗔𝗿𝘁 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄, where I'll be joining 200 juried artists for the day.

So, the weekend looks like this:

𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗢𝗰𝘁. 𝟮 | 𝟲–𝟭𝟬 𝗽𝗺
Essex Studios Art Walk, Studio 176

𝗦𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗢𝗰𝘁. 𝟯 | 𝟭𝟬 𝗮𝗺–𝟯 𝗽𝗺
Gettin' Artsy for Wildlife, Glendale

𝗦𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗢𝗰𝘁. 𝟯 | 𝟲–𝟭𝟬 𝗽𝗺
Essex Studios Art Walk, Studio 176

𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗢𝗰𝘁. 𝟰 | 𝟭𝟬 𝗮𝗺–𝟱 𝗽𝗺
Hyde Park Square Art Show

If you've been curious about what fiber-integrated oil paintings actually look like in person, this is a very good weekend to find out. Photos can show you the artwork, but they have a much harder time showing what happens when the fiber actually moves out from the painted surface.

And apparently I've given you four chances 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀. Lol! 💜

09/30/2026

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 “f𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀” 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼. 😂

At some point, signing up for four art events in three days seemed perfectly reasonable.

So the studio is currently somewhere between working studio, packing station and obstacle course.

The good news is that almost everything is ready. Artwork photographed and documented, cardboard corners waiting to protect paintings, gridwall pieces ready for the booth, and an increasingly large collection of things I absolutely cannot forget.

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩, 𝘔𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘐 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 16 𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘱𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘹𝘩𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘓𝘰𝘭!

Starting Friday, all of this turns into a much more presentable version of itself. I'll have my studio open at 𝗘𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘅 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼𝘀 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗮𝘆 evening, spend 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗚𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻' 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝘀𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲, and then set everything up again 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝘆𝗱𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗔𝗿𝘁 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄.

Four events. Three days.

W𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝘆 𝗴𝗼 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴? 😂

Mostly, though, I'm really looking forward to getting the artwork out of the studio and in front of people. 💜

09/29/2026

This painting was supposed to become a bouquet.

𝗜𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘀. 😂

I started with a background that I thought I could develop into one of my fiber flower pieces. Except it just wasn’t working.

𝗦𝗼 𝗜 𝗸𝗲𝗽𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴.

At some point, someone looking at it mentioned water. 💦 And once I saw that possibility, I couldn't quite unsee it.

I stopped trying to rescue the original idea and started painting movement instead. Those long, curving marks began to feel like something moving underwater.

Eventually, I realized I knew exactly who belonged there: a fancy-tailed goldfish I once had.

𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗻𝘁!

Swipe through and you can see just how far this one traveled from where it began.

I think one of the things I’m learning to trust more is that changing direction doesn’t necessarily mean the original idea failed. Sometimes the interesting part is figuring out what the painting is trying to become.

I really considered adding fiber to this one. I experimented with the idea of a few long strands of Suri alpaca moving through the water like vegetation.

But in the end, I decided it didn’t need them.

𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴, 𝗶𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗴𝗼 𝗶𝗻.

So this one is finished, exactly as it is. 💜

09/26/2026

There’s a point where the painting stops being only a painting.

In 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙚 𝙈𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙆𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙨, translucent blues move across the painted surface while Suri alpaca fiber emerges from it to form Danger Boy’s mane and forelock.

I love this particular boundary, where paint becomes dimensional and the image begins to occupy a little more of the space around it.

It’s one of those things a photograph has trouble capturing.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙚 𝙈𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙆𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙨
Fiber-Integrated Oil Painting
18 x 18 x 1.5 inches on cradled wood panel
Status: Available

09/25/2026

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲.

Every one of these bins holds fiber that came from an animal.

Some came from animals I knew personally. Others came from animals whose fiber I intentionally chose. Some has been washed, dyed or prepared. Some has been waiting for years.

And I don't always know what it will become.

Before I left for my artist residency in France, I prepared fiber and packed it with my art supplies. I didn't know exactly what I would make once I arrived—but I knew fiber was part of the language I wanted available to me.

Eventually, some of what I carried across the Atlantic became the dimensional flowers in 𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙛𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙖𝙮 𝙒𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙤𝙬.

I love that materials can work this way.

They can remain useful long after the moment when they first came into our hands. And sometimes, while they're waiting, they accumulate something else: relationship, history and memory.

Then one day, the right material meets the right artwork.

Maybe that's what makes something worth keeping—not always knowing what you'll do with it, but recognizing that its story might not be finished yet.

𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝘃𝗲 𝗸𝗲𝗽𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗸𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻'𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝘁?

Address

2511 Essex Place
Morning View, KY
45206

Telephone

+18594622344

Website

http://jennifermyka.com/

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