Jenine Shereos, a sculptor and installation artist in Boston, does just that with these intricate leaves. Shereos mimics the beautiful veining that often shows itself best in decaying leaves by wrapping, stitching and knotting strands of human hair. Yes, these leaves are made from human hair.

The artist uses water soluble material as the foundation of each piece, first stitching the individual strands of hair (by hand) onto the material, then tying a minuscule knot at every intersecting point.  Every.Intersecting.Point. When she dissolves the water soluble backing material, the knots allow the leaf to hold its shape. A fascinating process.

“The complex network of lines present in this work mimics the organic patterns found in nature and speaks to the natural systems of transformation, growth and decay. Allusions to the vascular tissue of plants, as well as the vascular system of the human body, exist simultaneously; the delicate trace of a hair falling silently, imperceptibly, from one’s head becoming the veins of a leaf as it falls from a tree leaving its indelible imprint on the ground below.” Jenine Shereos

More images on Jenine Shereos’ website

Exposed

Exposed, detail

Contemporary basket maker Joanne Russo collects a variety of materials, “from acorns to zippers” and expertly combining traditional techniques with modern sensibilities, weaves them into decorative baskets that offer a subtle narrative:

“A view of human nature expressed through a plaited form. The story is the same – we have a tentative hold on life, wanting to appear all together but always aware there’s a thread ready to unravel.”

Frond

Russo’s new work, materials woven into a collection of fronds, pods, flowers and buds, is more sculpture than basket – but equally engaging and appealing.

Bell Flower and Buds

Blue Bud

Blue Bud, detail

Red Bell Flower Frond

“In this new series, each one-of-a-kind piece is woven tightly and precisely, with added elements thoughtfully chosen to display order and harmony. For one, I may use rows of hooks and eyes to imply that the basket’s construction is carefully held together, while on another, a zipper adds an illusion of function. For the finishing touch, spiraled, thread-wrapped rows define the basket’s top. On some baskets I’ve left the last few rows twisting out into space, reaching, as a tendril, for a safehold.”

Joanne Russo’s website

All Sorts and Cupcake

I shared Kate Church’s work back in 2007 – oh, so long ago – and was delighted to see her continued success with the sculptural puppetry she is known for globally.  Church’s figures are poetic, whimsical, dreamy, and utterly charming.  They begin their lives as pieces of wire, chunks of polymer clay, bits of fabric and lost objects found and now loved. Poetic indeed.

Dreamland

Asleep At The Wheel

Tea and Doormouse

Little Birds

“Sculptural Puppetry: Combining the line and form of sculpture with the playful anima of puppetry. People were always asking me what to call my work. Trying to figure this out … this was what I came up with. It fits quite beautifully. The bodies are built over a wire armature using polymer clay and fibre construction. This is designed to allow motion during and to some degree after the figure is created. It is an inventive process that is both delicate and strong.”

Maybe Kate Church needs an apprentice up there in Nova Scotia?  I just happen to know of one. . .

Kate Church’s website

Spruengli Necklace, candy wrapper foils, wire

As early as 1973 she turned to jewelry making and a decade later began crocheting with fine wire, adding pieces of paper, candy wrappers, 16mm film, medicine packaging, antique newspaper pages, aluminum foil, firecrackers and other materials as she built each piece.

Film Necklace, 16mm film, wire

Cutting Pattern Necklace

Stamps Necklace, stamps, wire

The end result is almost always a texture rich bordering-on-too-lush-to-wear body adornment. Although there are no descriptions on her website, my research suggests that many of her pieces are intended as social/political commentary.

Check out her Firecracker Necklace here.

Verena Sieber Fuchs’ website

“In an attempt to remove the pieces from the realms of soft and cuddly, I use coarse wool such as mohair mixes, reproduction claws, jaws and glass eyes. My crochet technique is freestyle, one color, one stitch – the direction of the stitches highlighting anatomical features. All of the animals I make are life-size.” From Richardson’s interview on Dazed Digital

What began as an exploration of the theory that ‘anything can be art’ has turned into a full time, worldwide, event-making job. For the last two years she has been working on the Lionheart Project, the largest crochet sculpture in the world. Richardson is sculpting three 25 foot lions from polystyrene, setting them in steel skeletons and crocheting their ‘skin’. The project is her contribution to showcase crochet as a valid medium – her hope is to inspire a new generation of artists to utilize this ancient craft.

Shauna Richardson: Crochetdermy from Nick Hand on Vimeo.

Shauna Richardson’s website

Watch Richardson in action in this video

More about her Lionheart project here

Interview on Dazed Digital