There is an absolute wealth of talented artists and craftspeople based in my home county of Yorkshire and Mr Finch, who creates fairytale-like fabric taxidermy is one of those. Most of you have probably come across his incredible textile sculptures before, but for any of you unlucky enough to have missed it until now, here is a little sneaky peek at this man's fascinating creations.
In the words of Mr Finch 'Velvet curtains from an old hotel, a threadbare wedding dress and a vintage apron become birds and beasts' he loves to hunt for objects to include in his work. He plays with scale in a lot of his work too. Moths and bumble bees would usually be things that would fill me with abject horror, especially giant ones, as someone who is pretty terrified of moths and insects in general but Mr Finch's work is so beautiful, I find myself drawn to it, like a moth to a bright light. A lot of his inspiration comes from nature and British folklore. Mr Finch says '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.'
If you get the chance, do go and look at his facebook page too, full of images of his work and links to odd stories he has found, like a video of the last glass eye maker in Britain.
