These wool felted animals, handcrafted by needlefelt artist Jo Hobbs, are absolutely delightful. Hobbs, who lives in Newport, Wales, has been creating art for many years but in 2018 picked up needle felting. She explains on her website:
I was immediately struck by the wonder of sculpting with wool. The possibilities were endless, I discovered.
I decided that I wanted to create realistic sculptures so I set about studying animals and creating features and poses in as much detail as I could. Each of my sculptures is handmade using a wired armature and pure wool. I use a variety of materials such as glass, wax and glue to create eyes, claws and paws.
I sold my first pair of dogs in February 2019 and have never looked back. Many of my sculptures now ship to destinations far across the globe.
She sells her work through her company, Curly Jo Creation. Here she is in action creating a hare, some dogs, a horse, and an octopus. And check out these individually crafted tail feathers for one of her chicken sculptures.
In one of her Instagram posts, she provides some details about her work:
My handmade pet and animal sculptures are made of the finest sheep's wool, silk fibres, wire and wax!
🐾Yes some of your pet's fur can be incorporated into the sculpture… a little blended in with the wool or added into the core part of the body
🐾Pet ashes can also be added within the body encased in a little resin heart. These make the most special memorial sculptures
Her commissions will open again November 1, 2023—I would absolutely love to see a felted version of my dog Henry Rollins!
You can follow Curly Jo Creation on Instagram and also check out a gallery of Jo Hobbs' work on her webpage.
