Meet the Artist
Jeanne Cardana
Fiber Arts - Decorative
Jeanne Cardana of Oregon City, Oregon, creates animals in wool and alpaca fiber under Jeanne Cardana Fine Art. She discovered the art of needle felting four years ago and, having owned four alpacas, she often uses their fiber for outer fur. Jeanne’s training as a biological and medical illustrator, attention to detail, strong connection with the natural world and a lifetime experience with horses translate into her work as an artist. She strives to capture the essence and personality of the animals she portrays and to ‘tell their story’ visually. Horses are her favorite animal subject. She focuses on details, anatomy and movements of her animal subjects. Once she has her subject in mind, the composition and storytelling come together in a way that supports the piece’s harmony that she wishes to capture. Over the years Jeanne has produced and exhibited award winning original equine, wildlife, and Western Art pieces. Jeanne is a signature member of the Colored Pencil Society of America and the Society of Animal Artists, and an associate member of the Women Artists of the West.
Materials and techniques used include 16-gauge galvanized wire shaped into armatures; sheep wool sourced from local herds wrapped around the frames and needle-felted to create the animal. Jeanne studies the animal’s anatomy to keep conformation and movement true to her animal. She uses glass eyes, baked fema clay or wax and wool for hooves, horns, noses. Horse mane/tail hair for whiskers. Often, Jeanne mounts the animals on custom finished wood bases.