Fabric Log Sculptures

I created a fabric sculpture log with various mushrooms, mosses and insects inspired by elements I observe in nature. I start by going for a walk, taking pictures and gather inspiration. Then in the studio, I create the elements I observe in fabric, matching textures and colours before compiling them on a fabric log base.

For this log project, I use different textures of fabric and sewing techniques to achieve the look of a natural log. For the base of the log, I used a vintage corduroy fabric that has tree bark-like texture. Then I studied mushrooms to add to the base form and used hand sewing techniques to attach them to the log.

When I want to create an art piece inspired by nature, the first thing I like to do is go for a walk and gather inspiration. I look at the textures, shapes and colours of the things around me, in this case, I wanted to create a log, so observing a log in the park helped to inspire my fabric choices.

I want to add mushrooms to my log pieces, so when I am able to find mushrooms in the wild, I take photos of them to remember their textures and colours. This allows me to find ways to represent the forms that I see in fabric. This is a Chicken of the Woods mushroom, which is a bright yellow/orange fungi that grows on wood. I want to study it's shape so I can represent it on my fabric log. I will find fabrics that match the colour and use bunching techniques to form the fabric into the bunched up forms I observe on this mushroom in nature.

I take notes on the colours and textures I see in nature so that when I return to my studio, I have an idea about what type of fabrics I want to look for to represent what I have observed. I am looking at a pile of Inky Cap mushrooms and I see that they are light brown and have some striations or ridges on the caps, so I find some corduroy fabrics in a similar colour to represent those textures. I observe that they are growing in a cluster, so when I create my fabric mushrooms, I will also create a large number of them to form a cluster.

After observing many types of mushrooms, mosses and insects that occur in nature on logs, I start to build out my log form from imagination. I am creating an exaggerated version of what I observe to create varied textures on interest in my soft sculptural piece. This log below is full of different mushrooms, insects, leaves, and even raindrops made from glass beads. The closer I observe the specimens in nature, the more ideas I have about what to add on to my fabric version.