Animal Sanctuary

Most of the salvaged animals I find all have a beautiful feeling of movement about them.  They all seem to be in the process of some sort of migration, and just need assistance to get there in style.  There might be missing ears, trouble with standing and not toppling over, and issues with discolouration. Sometimes it’s simply about weighing down a particular limb or tail, or hiding a mark or a missing chunk of the body, but always it’s about adding to the silhouette of the animal, and creating an unusual version of itself.  Each creature has a combination of materials and processes applied – textile embellishments, beads and broken or unwanted jewellery, paint, gold leaf, glitter or hand-cut papers.  I try to give every one it’s unique found object, so that they all have their own identity and story to tell.  This helps the figure to have its own statement, with a playful appearance, whilst preserving the animal and helping to protect our environment from a throwaway culture.  

1