Seasons of Joy Autumn Wool Painting Giveaway, Plus Signed Book, Plus Waldorf Seasons Prints

This contest has ended and the winners have been announced. You are still welcome to sign up for my newsletter and please read the reviews of 'Seasons of Joy: Every Day is for Outdoor Play' in this blog post. 

To celebrate the upcoming changing of the seasons, I am holding a very special giveaway centered on my picture book "Seasons of Joy: Every Day is for Outdoor Play," published by Loving Healing Press earlier this year. 

There will be three random winners and the prizes are:

1. Autumn Leaves Wool Painting, plus a signed paperback copy of Seasons of Joy. The painting is a mini 8 by 10 inch version based on one of the illustrations from the book (the originals are 13 by 17 inches) It comes unframed, but would be lovely in an 8 by 10 shadow box.

Autumn Leaves Wool Painting Giveaway

2. A set of four 5 by 7 prints of the needle felted wool paintings in Seasons of Joy valued at $19, plus a signed paperback copy of Seasons of Joy.

Seasons of Joy Prints

3. A signed paperback copy of Seasons of Joy. 

Seasons of Joy: Every Day is for Outdoor Play

To enter this Giveaway, please sign up for my email newsletter. (Newsletter signup is required for entering this contest.) 

Enter to Win Wool Painting

You may also get additional entries by sharing this post on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest.  Just let me know in the comments below that you shared. 

"Seasons of Joy: Every Day is for Outdoor Play" is a merging of my experiences, loves and talents. It started with a commission from an early childhood teacher at my son's Waldorf school. She wanted a wool painting that depicted children playing throughout the seasons. Later, I offered to re-create the painting in my Etsy shop and I've sold many prints as well. The painting connected with people around the world and I thought it needed to be a book. 

Waldorf Seasons Wool Painting

As a book, that one wool painting turned into 12 illustrations, three for each season. When creating the scenes, I drew on my son's early childhood in a Waldorf school -- climbing trees, using silks for imaginative play, gardening, sledding . . . And of course, since I love all animals, I added dogs, birds, bunnies and squirrels to every scene. 
It was important to me that the children were diverse. While there are many wonderful vintage children's seasons books, most don't reflect the multicultural experience.
I wanted the verse to capture the joy children feel when playing outside. The verse has alliteration and rhymes, but I believe it flows naturally. I've been very pleased with the reviews for both the verse and the illustrations. Here are some:

Seasons of Joy is a beautifully illustrated narrative poem celebrating children's joy in the changing seasons. Seasons of Joy is a literary and artistic treasure for today's children and future generations. -- Midwest Book Review

Claudia Marie Lenart’s Seasons of Joy is magical.  Her rhyming prose conjures such beautiful visual images of each season and encourages young children to go outside.

Accompanying her lyrical language is Lenart’s signature wool artwork, which will captivate children as they study all of the beautiful detail in each dreamy scene.—Patricia Tilton, Children’s Books Heal 

The prose is lovely. “We sway to the wind’s song under crimson showers.” “We play until the sun paints the trees a copper hue.” The illustrations are even lovelier. I am amazed at what this artist can do with fibers. – Bonnie Ferrante, Books for Children

"Young children learn through imitation and movement. If that movement is filled with imaginative pictures, they are able to take it up in their whole being and express it outwardly in their play. Claudia Lenart's book Seasons of Joy uses the artistic medium of needle-felted wool to express the joy of children in movement at every season of the year."
--Barbara Patterson, retired Waldorf Extra Lesson teacher in private practice, author of Beyond the Rainbow Bridge: Nurturing Our Children from Birth to Seven

"In Seasons of Joy, Claudia Lenart uses her beautiful rhyming prose to tell a classic tale of the changing of the seasons and the carefree pleasure of playing outside all year around. The details in every scene are meticulous and refined, down to the distinct wing pattern of a butterfly and the catchlight in a squirrel's eye. This book is exactly what it sets out to be - a joy to read and an inspiration for nature play for children everywhere."
--Linda Akeson McGurk, journalist, blogger at Rain or Shine Mama, author of There's No Such Thing As Bad Weather

"What a treat to meander through the seasons with these wonderful words and beautiful wool paintings. Claudia is an extraordinary fiber artist who has the special talent of bringing magical scenes to life. A delight for adults and children alike."
-- Donni Webber, www.TheMagicOnions.com, author of Magical Miniature Gardens and Homes

If you have read this entire blog post, you can get another entry by also telling me your favorite season in the comments. But please don't forget to sign up for my newsletter, too. 

How to Create a Waldorf Wool Seasons Painting

Children playing throughout the four seasons is a theme that speaks to our hearts. Childhood as it should be, outside in the fresh air.

Waldorf Seasons by Claudia Marie Lenart

I originally created my Waldorf Four Seasons wool painting as a commission for a kindergarten class at Da Vinci Waldorf School. I have recreated the image numerous times for art patrons around the world. There are subtle differences in the recreations and some of them have been customized to include the customer's children.  The characters, trees, and animals are all created from needle felted wool. 

The images I created of children playing throughout the year have been so well received that they inspired me to write a book with 12 illustrations created from wool -- "Seasons of Joy: Everyday is for Outdoor Play." 

In this blog I will provide an explanation of how I make a wool painting. It is not a step by step tutorial, but I hope you will find it inspiring. 

Newly dyed felt drying in the sun

The wool painting begins with a sheet of 100 percent wool felt fabric. I dye it blue, since a large part of the painting is blue sky. 

After dyeing, the wool gets a bit misshapen, so I measure and cut to the desired dimensions. 

Dyed wool felt ready to be measured.

I apply thin layers of Romney wool to the entire painting, blue in the sky portion and white over the ground. I needle felt along the edges of the painting, then place frame glass over the painting and gently rub the glass. This method is called pressed wool painting. The glass can be left on the wool for days.

Layers of wool create the sky.

My trees are made of natural brown Corriedale wool. They are felted along the edges and then on the tree to look like grooves in the bark. I sometimes roll the branches so they look more solid and thinner. 

Three wool trees

I have used different types of wool for the grass. In this photo it is mostly merino wool. I usually apply a couple of layers of different shades of green. I lightly felt the wool in and then place the glass frame over the wool to enhance the felting process. 

Grass changing from Spring to Summer.

The tree leaves are fun to make. I usually use green locks for spring and white locks for winter. The summer and fall leaves are created from many different shades, built up in layers. 

Four Seasons Trees

To create the children, I study photos of children moving and then lay down a white wool outline. I create the heads separately and felt into the painting. They are dressed on the painting. 

Children in Spring

I create the animals and flowers separately as well and then felt them into the painting.

Cottontail running in Spring

Needle felted robins eggs

Spring complete

The swing in summer is made from very thin yarn strung around the tree branch then attached with a sewing needle to the seat. The seat is very tightly felted wool that I cut into a rectangular shape.  The girl on the swing is a little doll which I attach to the swing. 

Spring and Summer

Nuthatch

Fall characters in progress

Autumn

Little squirrel

I spend a lot of time studying animals both in real life when possible and, more often, in photographic images. For the deer, I used a photo I shot while hiking last winter as my inspiration. The deer was created in layers directly on the painting.

Creating a deer

Winter sledding

I hope that I inspired you to create your own wool painting. This image is copyrighted, so please do not create one to sell. 

If you would like me to create a wool painting for you or if you would like a print of my Seasons paintings, please visit Claudia Marie Felt on Etsy.

For a great book on wool painting:

Wool Painting, Needle Felting Feature on Major Chicago News Station

An already busy holiday season became a bit more hectic, and a lot more exciting, when I was contacted by WGN news producer Pam Grimes, who was interested in doing a feature on my work. "Wool Painting: How a Love of Animals Led a Chicago Area Artist to a New Calling," was featured on the evening news, Dec. 21. I was pleasantly surprised that the feature was about 5 minutes.

"Wool Painting: How a Love of Animals Led a Chicago Area Artist to a New Calling

Pam and photojournalist Steve Scheuer came to my home to talk to me about my work, photograph my winter woodland mantle display, some of my wool paintings and illustrations, and my needle felt animals. Prince Preemie also made the cut. He is from the most recent book I illustrated for the late disability advocate, Jewel Kats,  "Prince Preemie: A Tale of a Tiny Puppy Who Arrived Early." 

"Prince Preemie: A Tale of a Tiny Puppy Who Arrived Early." 

Actually, it was interesting to see just how much of my story was portrayed in 5 minutes -- my summers working in national parks, my love of animals, my former career as a journalist.

My son's alma mater, Da Vinci Waldorf School was also featured in the segment. Very fitting, as my Waldorf connection was integral to my finding needle felting.  We drove over to the school where Pam talked to Kindergarten teacher Ieva Scoggin.  Ieva commissioned my Waldorf Seasons wool painting, which has become popular in my Etsy store and among Waldorf families. So many people have connected to the image, that it inspired my first picture book as author and illustrator, "Seasons of Joy: Everyday is for Outdoor Play," to be published in Spring 2017.

The original Waldorf Seasons hangs at DaVinci Waldorf School. 

I was touched that the news segment captured my motivation for doing this work -- the joy that it brings me and the joy it brings to others.

My wool painting inspired by Sibylle von Olfers "The Story of the Root Children."

Claudia Marie Lenart of Claudia Marie Felt explaining and demonstrating needle felting on WGN.

A scene from my holiday woodland mantle display