Sarah Mitchell
Wooly Wildlife
Summerville, SC
Felted Sculpture
My name is Sarah Mitchell and I bring the beauty and diversity of the natural world to my art through a process called needle felting. Needle felting is done by taking a small, barbed needle and poking it repeatedly into wool to slowly form and build up a sculpture. Working with fiber allows me to create a very realistic finish, which brings these animals to life.
My work is strongly influenced by the natural world around me. I often watch how animals sit and move so I can incorporate that feeling and movement into my sculptures. I want my finished pieces to convey that sense of life and look like they could take off from their wood mounts at any time. My goal is to not only capture their image, but their mannerisms as well. It is this feeling of movement in my work that makes it feel so lifelike.
I currently teach classes at a few places in Summerville and Mount Pleasant, and I am looking to branch out and teach public and private classes at additional locations. Every time I teach a class new students fall in love with the artform and are overjoyed by what they can create. I love to see this joy and am so pleased that the artform I love creates it.