Wooly Wildlife

WELCOME TO WOOLY WILDLIFE

Welcome, and thank you for taking the time to visit Wooly Wildlife. I’m Sarah Mitchell, the artist behind each of these sculptures. Every piece you see here is one of a kind and made entirely by hand through the slow and rewarding process of needle felting.

I’ve always been drawn to the natural world—the animals, birds, and little moments of movement that can so easily go unnoticed. Through Wooly Wildlife, I get to bring those moments to life in a different way. My hope is that when you look at one of my sculptures, you see more than just a likeness. I want you to see a little bit of personality, movement, and the spirit of the animal itself.

Needle felting is a wonderfully tactile and surprisingly time-consuming process. Using a small, barbed needle, I repeatedly work wool fibers together, gradually building the shape, texture, and details of each sculpture. Every piece begins with a carefully constructed wire armature, which gives the sculpture strength while also allowing me to create natural poses and movement. From there, I build a firm wool foundation and slowly layer and blend fibers until the animal begins to emerge.

Much of my process starts simply with observation. I watch how animals sit, stretch, balance, look around, and move through the world. Those small details are what I try to capture in wool. I love creating pieces that feel as though they might move when you aren’t looking—perhaps a bird is about to take flight, or a squirrel is just about to scamper away.

Although woodland animals and birds are some of my favorite subjects, I’m always happy to explore something new. I also create custom sculptures of beloved pets, botanical subjects, and whimsical creatures. Each project brings a new challenge and a new opportunity to learn, and that is one of the things I love most about creating.

Thank you for stopping by and taking a look at my work. I hope these little pieces of wool and wire bring you the same sense of wonder and joy that I feel while creating them.

My work is currently available at Art on the Square in Summerville, South Carolina; the Charleston Fine Craft Gallery in Charleston, South Carolina; the South Carolina Artisans Center in Walterboro, South Carolina; online at WoolyWildlife.com; and through my Etsy shop.

You can also follow along with my work, new sculptures, and creative process on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube under Wooly Wildlife.