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HEARTFELT
FELTED ART
Robin Montero’s woolly
creations on view at
Cannon Beach museum
through November
By NANCY McCARTHY
FOR COAST WEEKEND
P
oseidon awaits. His face is in pro-
file, eyes focused ahead, his white
hair flowing back in felted woolly
waves, outlined against a black
background.
“He’s my favorite,” said Seaside tex-
tile artist Robin Montero, who nods at the
felted head of the Greek god of the sea.
“He’s the one that told me I could do
this,” she said. “He’s the one who gave
me the confidence to keep going.”
The bas relief sculpture, along with
several other of Montero’s wall hangings,
all formed with felted wool, are on exhib-
it at the Cannon Beach History Center &
Museum through November. She also has
a show at SunRose Gallery in Seaside.
Her innovative pieces reflect Monte-
ro’s imagination, skill and experimenta-
tion with a variety of techniques.
Montero, a former professional
theater costume designer, knows how
to work with fabric, but she had never
encountered felted wool until she “stum-
bled” across it while talking to a woman
in a fabric shop. After reading some
books, she thought, “I could do this.”
“When I discovered this, the very
first thing I made was a sand dollar. And
then I wanted to do something more
dimensional. I thought, ‘Well, I can draw
faces, so why don’t we try a face?’ ”
Poseidon hooked her.
Continued on Page 12
COURTESY CANNON BEACH
HISTORY CENTER & MUSEUM
Robin Montero textile
art of Poseidon.