Catholic fiber artist brings the Lamb of God to life in wool

Catholic fiber artist Holly Guertin creates wool-based 3D artworks, especially depicting sheep, with a “sacramental worldview.”

Guertin is based in Philadelphia, and her work is currently on display at a visual arts center in North Carolina. Her debut solo art exhibition, “Hand in Hand,” is on view at Waterworks Visual Arts Center in Salisbury until Oct. 31.

Guertin also works as a fiber arts teacher and chair of the Craftsmanship Department at Martin Saints Classical High School, where she teaches students felting, embroidery, and repeat pattern design.

EWTN News spoke to Guertin about her unique art and the ways in which her faith inspires it.

EWTN News: What is fiber art? What drew you into this art form?

Guertin: Fiber art is a medium that utilizes textile and cloth-making processes for the purpose of beauty and expression. It is a very open art category and the techniques in fiber art are often repetitive and labor intensive.

Part 1 of 3 of the Kerygma series in Holly Guertin’s “Hand in Hand” exhibition, “The Intimacy” is made of crocheted wool yarn, wool fill, and reclaimed cotton domestic fabric backing. Completed in 2022, Guertin’s work is more than 2 feet tall, more than 5 feet wide, and 4 inches deep. | Credit: Holly Guertin

When I was a freshman in college at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), I happened upon an open studio event at the fibers department. The artworks and projects I saw in the building were some of the most interesting Iʼd ever seen, and once I saw the variety of careers that were possible with a fibers degree, I changed my major from fashion to fibers and never looked back.

In the fibers program, I learned everything that goes into cloth making (such as knitting, weaving, and felting) and cloth decoration (such as dyeing, screen printing, and embroidery). I never tried a technique I didnʼt like.

How has faith played a role in your art? How do you pull from scriptural imagery and religious symbolism in your artwork?

My faith has been intertwined within my artwork from the very beginning. Throughout my life, art has been a way I explore different themes and ideas. By being made in the image of God, his creative power that crafted the universe is woven into our very being. When I am creative, I am participating in the Lordʼs creativity. This cooperation inspires and fuels my work.

Holly Guertin’s piece “Worthwhile” is made of wool felt and is 42.5 inches tall, 19.5 inches wide, and 3 inches deep. | Credit: Holly Guertin

I love to read the Bible, and the Lord has shown me his creativity and his love for textiles and patterns throughout the Old and New Testaments. From the making of the tabernacle (Exodus 26:1) to St. Paulʼs handkerchiefs (Acts 19:11-12), the Bible is filled with references to textiles and the making of cloth.

I also find so much inspiration from the natural world, his creation, and view it as an invitation to creativity with and for the Lord (cf. Romans 1:20). The Lord has been so generous with me and I am constantly inspired by his word and his world.

Catholic artist Holly Guertin’s wool and fiber art on display in her “Hand in Hand” exhibit at Waterworks Visual Arts Center in Salisbury, North Carolina. | Credit: Holly Guertin

How is wool and sheep imagery important in your artwork?

Wool has been integral to my development and formation as an artist. As soon as I began working with wool in our 3D Fibers class at SCAD, I wanted to explore the Good Shepherd and Lamb of God symbols in the Bible. Seventeen years later, Iʼm still plumbing the depths of this imagery, and it is so rich.

I have been researching and exploring why sheep and shepherds are mentioned over 400 times in the Bible. What is so special about this creature? Through the Lordʼs own words, the sheep and shepherd relationship mirrors our relationship with him (Psalm 100:3).

Throughout the Scriptures, God likens his people to sheep (Ezekiel 34). We are the sheep of his pasture (Psalm 100:3), he is our shepherd (Psalm 23), and Jesus is the Good Shepherd (John 10:1-18), to name just a few. The simile is apt and the Lord has so much to tell us through this symbol. Like sheep, we are dependent, communal, habitual, and full of potential.

“Reception” by Holly Guertin. | Credit: Holly Guertin

The way we view sheep, even today, mirrors our understanding of ourselves. Especially in our increasingly digital and artificial ways of living, I have found wool to be an antidote to our divisive and isolating culture. Wool has revealed our innate human dignity, the value of manual labor, the meaning in material, the beauty in pattern, the sacred in the ordinary, and the power of creativity.

“Lamb of God” close-up by Holly Guertin. | Credit: Holly Guertin

What has your faith journey been like, and how has art been a part of it?

I am a Catholic convert from evangelical Protestantism. I was received into the Church during the Easter Vigil 15 years ago during my senior year at SCAD.

When, in my sophomore year, I discovered the power of my hands to transform wool into felt, my eyes were opened to a sacramental worldview. Especially because I was working with wool, a material so steeped in religious and scriptural symbolism, I understood the immense value in the creative act. Suddenly, the work of my hands held meaning!

A depiction of buttercups, “Delight” is made with wet and needle felting sheep wool and embroidery with naturally dyed wool yarns and is on display at the “Hand in Hand” art display. | Credit: Holly Guertin

I saw how beauty isnʼt superficial or unnecessary but is an essential channel that reveals the goodness and truth of the Father.

After I became Catholic two years later, I discovered the thousands of years of theological development that catalyzed and put language to everything I had experienced in fiber arts. St. John Paul II especially has had a great influence on my artwork and how I understand creativity and beauty.

To follow Guertin’s work, view her artwork here, visit her Instagram here, or visit her weekly newsletter here.

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