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Christine Weir: Monumental Mushroom Clouds in Merino

Sculpting Science in Felted Wool

At Revolution Fibers, we’re continually inspired by the depth of creativity within our community. This month we’re thrilled to spotlight Los Angeles artist Christine Weir, a visionary turning wool into powerful statements on science, nature, and human experience. Her needle-felted sculptures merge exacting craftsmanship with deep introspection, sparking conversations about subjects as profound as nuclear physics.

Meet Christine: Bridging Art & Science

Christine holds a BFA in Studio Art and an MS in Art History, a combination that lets her fuse technical expertise with artistic intuition. After years in the art-appraisal world, she took a creative pause to focus on family life. For 19 years her professional practice centered on drawing; but during the pandemic, she began exploring new forms, discovering both modular origami and the freeing possibilities of needle felting.

High-contrast graphite drawing by Christine Weir resembling an atomic cross-section or blast ring.
Sardine (2024), graphite on clay board, 10 × 10 in.
Suspended modular origami cloud installation in black geometric units with a single pink accent sphere.
Fission: Uranium Splitting into Strontium and Xenon (2024), 38 x 18 x 18 in. paper & monofilament

“Having grown up in the 1980s, nuclear destruction was always in the back of my mind,” Christine says. Needle felting lets her transmute those anxieties into touchable form, literally containing ominous concepts inside soft wool.

A Monumental Project: Large Atomic

Artist Christine Weir standing beside her completed 7-foot Large Atomic felted mushroom cloud sculpture.
Christine with Large Atomic (2024) • 7 × 6 × 5 ft

Christine’s recent masterwork, Large Atomic, is a breathtaking 7-foot-tall needle-felted wool sculpture depicting a nuclear mushroom cloud. Created using Revolution Fibers’ premium wool roving, this powerful piece became the centerpiece of her latest solo exhibition. Christine describes the creation process as both intuitive and meticulous: constructing a fabric-and-polyfiber armature before gradually layering and sculpting the wool with precise needlework.

“There is something satisfyingly subversive about creating a mushroom cloud out of materials typically used for beautiful and sweet objects,” she says. The result invites viewers to face uncomfortable realities through an unexpectedly gentle medium.
Mid-build view of Large Atomic felted sculpture showing layered wool structure on studio base.
Mid-build studio shot
Close-up of red and orange wool roving laid out during early felting stage of the Large Atomic sculpture.
Early roving layout
Studio photograph of the finished 7-foot Large Atomic felted mushroom cloud sculpture in charcoal tones.
The finished work, ready for exhibition

Everyday Inspiration & Inventive Technique

Museum visits, conversations with fellow artists, and personal milestones all feed Christine’s imagination. Each project begins with research and small trials. True to her experimental spirit, she even uses broken felting needles to scrape and score the wool, adding crater-like textures you can’t achieve any other way.

Grey felted mushroom cloud sculpture with yellow-hot core, photographed against a red background.
Atomic No. 25 (2023) • 3 × 4 × 3 in.
Mini white felted mushroom cloud with bright yellow ring, set against a vivid red backdrop.
Atomic No. 1 (2022) • 2.5 × 3 × 3 in.
Compact grey felted wool mushroom cloud sculpture on vivid red background.
Atomic No. 29 (2023) • 9 × 7.5 × 7.5 in.
Bright yellow felted mushroom cloud sculpture with orange undertones on a red background.
Atomic No. 27 (2023) • 5 × 5 × 5 in.
White pedestal displaying ten miniature felted mushroom cloud sculptures in assorted colors.
Series of miniature felted clouds on gallery pedestal

Advice for Fellow Fiber Artists

Christine urges beginners to keep things playful: “Enjoy the process, stay curious, and don’t be discouraged if the finished product isn’t what you pictured. The act of making something from nothing fuels me.” Patience and a willingness to experiment remain her greatest tools.

Find & Support Christine Weir

Christine is expanding her large-scale felted sculptures for upcoming gallery shows and open-studio events.


Gallery view of Christine Weir’s 2024 “Boom” show at Keystone Art Space featuring felted atomic sculptures.
Boom at Keystone Art Space, October 2024

Your Next Creative Journey Starts Here

Inspired by Christine’s story?   Explore our premium wool roving collection, the same fibers Christine trusts for her monumental projects. Share your own wool experiments on Instagram with #RevolutionFibers and tag @RevolutionFibers; we love featuring community art!

Thank you, Christine, for sharing your incredible artistic journey and for inspiring fiber artists everywhere.

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