Needle and Clay

Must… not… get… sucked in….!!!

I really, really don’t need a new hobby. Really, really don’t. In fact, fewer hobbies would probably make my life a lot easier. Needle felting is one of those things, though, that really, really tempts me. Argh.

Today I present to you a medley of excellent wool sculpture, also known as needle felting. I have selected these from Etsy because of their fine details and excellent sculptural qualities. I really have no idea how you start with a lump of wool and end up wih these awesome figures, but then, that’s what makes it so cool, right?

In literature, they have a term called “meta” which means a story that knows it’s a story, or a story within a story (Like the grandfather reading the book to the little boy in The Princess Bride). To my English-degreed mind, there’s something meta about a doll using a puppet. Go see this treasure at Snowman Central.

Gosh, this owl makes me giggle, and I love the vivid colors in the cat. You usually don’t see this color palette in needle felting. Go and see Fing’s other work at Fine Art Toys. She also has some gorgeous matryoshka-inspired ladybugs, flower buds and caterpillars.

I think one of the coolest things about needle felting is that it can blur the line between painting and sculpture, something that this artist is taking advantage of. The two sculptures above, “Mother Earth,” and “Mushroom Community” are from Handwork Naturals.

Last, but certainly not least, is Rose Thistle Arts from Etsy. She has the most amazing talent for sculpting lifelike animals in wool. I can’t even sculpt portraits in my primary medium, so I have a deep respect for anyone who can. Rose Thistle animals aren’t just lifelike, though, they’re also beautiful. Sometimes it’s easy to do one or the other, but not both. Just lovely.

See you next week!