Material Research: Mister Finch

MISTER FINCH

Mister Finch is a textile artist and soft-sculptor who I've followed on social media and had an admiration for, for quite some time. His materials usually consist of very simple things like calico, wire, simple fabric dyes etc. but he manages to warp and sculpt these materials into a plethora of woodland creatures and animals of his own hybrid creations. He always uses recycled fabrics not only as an ethical statement but also because he believes they have more authenticity and charm than that of brand new materials. Just by looking at a collection of images of his work, I can't help but feel that he's created a whole new fantastical world. through both the animals and plants alike; every piece looks so cohesive with the next.
Having no formal training in what he does, Mister Finch is pretty much a self taught artist, motivated by his passion for making things teamed with a fascination in British folklore as well as the beautiful life cycles of birds, flowers and insects.
There is a definite anthropomorphic feature within his work, tying back to one of my own main topics in my project:

"Humanizing animals with shoes and clothes is something I’ve always done and I imagine them to come alive at night. Getting dressed and helping an elderly shoemaker or the tired housewife." 

This links directly with the humanoid themes I'm looking at within my own work; making animals more relatable to viewers and more appealing to a younger audience too.
Overall, Mister Finch has created a fabric forest that surrounds him and had become his reality every day. I love the faded, worn and almost vintage aesthetic to his work; every piece has a certain charm and character about it, and knowing that the fabrics he uses are incredibly simple just makes it all the more impressive.

Below I've put together a visual inspiration map specifically of his bird pieces, relating to the animals I'm focusing on for my own assignment; Above is a collection I assembled of some of my favourite pieces of his work.

The feet especially really interest me; they seem to be wired shapes with the cloth or thread wrapped very tightly around them. Another thing I'm amazed at is the anatomy of the creatures; the scale (1:1) and shapes of the animals is so realistic! His work honestly inspires me so much; The whole world he's created out of recycled pieces that he finds in pawn shops and the fabrics he uses make the animals seem so real and alive.

I found a small tutorial Mister Finch posted on how he goes about creating one of his bulb pieces. It's really interesting to see the kind of methods he uses, and I could perhaps try out this small tutorial to get a feel for the way he works?