My friend Dylan Marvin recently turned me on to the art of needle felting, in particular the work of Stephanie Metz.  He also turned me on to how much fun Wii can be but that’s another matter.  I had never heard of needle felting and i’m still not entirely sure I know what it is (it involves balls of wool and a lot of poking with sharp needles) but I do know this medium in Stephanie Metz’s hands is pure magic.

Probably known best for her Teddy Bear Natural History series (think teddy bear skulls and fetuses), Metz’s work invokes the beauty of science and sprinkles it with wit and imagination.   She has a master of realism that she can twist ever so slightly to make you feel a bit of sympathy or even repulsion for her subjects, particularly those in the Overbred Animals collection. 

The lapdog (above) really tore into my heart.  The little critter is adorable but so sad to see those little stubs where surely longer limbs should be.  Limbs and paws, which I assume were lost in the process of evolution after hardly being used.  I imagine a teeny dog in a woman’s purse and shudder.  All this from one glance at Metz’s creation.  For me that’s what makes her work so compelling and beautiful.  Please visit Stephanie Metz’s website to learn more about her work and the art of needle felting.   Here’s one more image to entice you.  This piece is entitled Everybody is Somebody’s Baby:

An interesting coincidence occured tonight as I was preparing this post, an etsy seller and artist by the name of Amy L. Rawson contacted me about purchasing some cards and guess what she sells?  Hand dyed wool, felt needles and even some felt needle figures she calls ‘Felties’.  Strange timing, right? 

The felties are totally cute, but I was blown away by Rawson’s polymer and epoxy clay sculptures!  Take a gander at Worry complete with chains to fiddle with and hold him back.  Man, I can relate to this dashing but dubious fellow’s energy lately.

Wow, right?!!  You can purchase this sculpture, wool, etc. at Rawson’s Etsy shop. 

If you are interested in learning more on sculpting with wool and needles you can find a lot of needle felting links here and a beginner’s needle felting tutorial here.  I really love the look of the stuff, particularly the raw plain white or bone with no colors added.  I doubt I’ll ever dabble in the medium myself though.  Wool is one of those things for me, like needles on a chalkboard for others.  I really can’t handle the texture of wool in my hands.  It freaks me out a bit…as do brillo pads…

*grits teeth and cringes*

Happy haiku’n my friends.  I’m still considering taking a couple weeks off from the comic but can’t seem to commit to it, so I suppose I’ll see you next week as usual. 

<3 calan

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