Open Door Gallery Reception

Justine Heinrichs - Biography 

Justine Heinrichs started her professional life as an orchestral musician playing with the Tulsa Philharmonic. While working with the Philharmonic, she began her teaching career as a school orchestra teacher that lasted 37 years.  All the while, she always had a love for drawing, sculpting and painting. She spent several years as an egg artist before becoming a fiber artist focusing on wet and needle felting. 

Justine began her felting journey in January 2017 with a tiny owl Woolpet kit and a passion was born. She has done pet portraiture, wool painting and wool sculptures. She has worked from realism to fantasy and whimsical creatures. Justine teaches felting in workshops to encourage others to find their inner artist. 

Justine won Best in Show with her wet and needle felted hawk portrait at Sheep and Wool in 2019. She is also a teacher at Sheep and Wool Festival. She is one of the first Sarafina Certified Felting Instructors in 2021. She has been Artist in Residence in Green Lake, WI in 2023 and Cedarburg Cultural Center in 2024. 

Artist Statement

I find my inspiration in the natural world and wool and silk is my medium. My work explores the beauty in all things, real and imagined, human and animal. Using fiber allows me to express nature using nature’s bounty. I love the organic,  yet magical, nature of wool and the endless ways it can be manipulated.  It can be used to create lifelike creatures to the fantastic. The sky's the limit. 

My work expresses a moment in a story or an expression of a character. Whether it’s a fox startled from a nap under a tree, a clouded leopard emerging from a rainforest or a goddess looking out. There is an element of something happening beyond what is seen in the piece. I aim to entice the viewer to complete the narrative in their imagination. I believe that all people could benefit from more time with their imagination.