Tucked away off a dirt road in the hills of West Tisbury, I finally find Mary Beth Daniel’s house, having had to brake and wait for one of her 11 Muscovy ducks to finish his pothole bath. Peeking over a fence I see that she is surrounded by more animals: “Fifty-four Alpacas — yes, I know, we’re crazy,” she sighs. But, there’s more: four mini donkeys, nine goats, five sheep, and an ancient Labrador who welcomes me at the door.
I walk into the neatest house I have ever seen. Colorful walls splashed with sunlight, sparsely furnished. “This is my studio,” she says waving at a table by the window with one hand while pulling out a little chest on wheels with the other, wool spilling out of its tiny drawers.
But, Daniels is not just an artist, she is an end-of-life doula, a Reiki practitioner, a spiritual counselor, and an ordained interfaith minister who also happens to make nesting balls for birds, gourd motels for wrens, and vibrant fibre art; in addition she is a mother, grandmother, and wife.
How do you decide who you are going to be or what you are going to do on any given day?
Easy! Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays I do counseling. I work with the animals and use them for therapy. I do spiritual counseling in the pastures or even the barns, with the animals. Alpacas can’t be certified…but I am!
I was also a hospice chaplain for a while, but prefer to work on my own to help people transition and pass without fear, surrounded by family. That is important.
Mondays and Fridays are open for art. Art feeds my soul.
How do you keep this house so impeccably tidy?
Oh, we did the Island shuffle for the first time. We rented out the whole house — that’ll clear the clutter!
What gave you the idea to paint with wool?
I was always creative…drawing, sketching, writing. I never took any classes. My grandfather urged me to combine writing and drawing to write and illustrate childrens’ books — that directed me. I went to museums, but did not start seriously until after college. I started with oil, went on to acrylics, then crafts and gave everything I made away. A watershed moment came when I met a woman at a crafts fair who was working with fiber. That spurred me to investigate the fiber art world. Knitting gets boring.
We ended up moving from New Jersey to the Vineyard full-time and are now surrounded by animals with fur. I honor them; they hold wisdom and are spiritual guides and teachers. I use them when I work with people and then I honor their fur and that is how I started my felt art. I love the tactile part, the colors, the textures. There are no rules in fiber art — it’s freeing. I can create whatever I want.
It has also liberated me as a spiritual counselor. Felting is a spiritual practice. You can’t have a sharp needle in your hand and not pay attention — so you focus!
How did you start?
With 3D felting, I made little pumpkins, fairies, and Christmas ornaments, but quickly went on to 2D paintings. This is called felting: you create a base by laying out the fibers that have been carded and then criss-cross them as if being woven. Then you wet the wool with hot water and olive oil soap so that the fibers interlock and you create a background onto which, once dry, you can needle felt any image you want. Needle felting is basically punching fibers into the fiber base with long thin needles — no knots. And, all this comes from my animals — how cool is that?
I have become a bag lady. Once the wool comes out of the drawers, I store it in individual bags: silk, bamboo, soft alpaca, curly haired sheep. I have a very visual memory and can easily find the necessary bag. Some wool I dye myself using tea, coffee, or beach plums, even indigo. Wool is my paint. And then there’s texture. Curls come from Leicester and Border Leicester sheep. Alpaca has crimp, but no curl. Textured mohair comes from Ireland. I am an eco artist. I use nature-based things that I recycle, turning them into something purposeful and different.
What music do you listen to?
I sit in silence or listen to classical or soft rock — depends on my mood. I am totally cool with silence! Besides, I can hear the animals and the wind in the bamboo outside the window.
Which artists have influenced you? Dead or alive?
Van Gogh, Picasso, and Monet — definitely, my work is very Monet-like. My goats are named after these three geniuses. I love impressionism and working with fiber can be very water-coloresque!
Which books have inspired you in your various roles?
I like mysteries, figuring things out. But mostly I like spiritual books — a resource for clients. Tara Brach’s “Radical Acceptance” is really helpful. It invites people to accept themselves and get rid of that “inner judge.” Learn to take a sacred pause — invite yourself to be present in the moment, in the here and now!
Name me three interesting people you would invite to dinner?
Jesus, Buddha, and Muhammad — that would make for interesting conversation!
We’d talk about the big questions: spiritual, but not religious. People seem to be turning away from traditional churches, but we are wired to be together — connected.
Mary Beth intertwines and weaves people together like the fibers that play such a large part in her life.
