Pack Mule by Laurie Cameron

Laurie Cameron

There is just something about starting with the most basic of supplies–wool and a special needle–and transforming it into lifelike sculptures. Each time I begin to needle felt something–a Mexican gray wolf, a bactrian camel (the one with two humps), a javelina (those pesky little peccaries that wander across our yard)–it slowly comes to life. I grab a piece of wooI that has been dyed to match the color of the animal and get a thrill out of its softness. Often I find a small piece of grass that escaped the carding process, reminding me that this material came from a farmer’s field perhaps in North Dakota. I have to leave the eyes for last because that’s when I fall in love with the little critters.