If you take into account the painstaking effort required to craft an exact, lifelike miniature of a favorite dog, cat, bunny or horse from 100% wool felt, you will have a deep appreciation for artist Amelia Santiago’s three-dimensional “pet portrait” sculptures. Amelia takes up to 20 hours to create each sculpture by hand, poking thousands of strands of felt into the finished piece, perfecting the animal’s markings and making subtle adjustments to capture character. The result is an immortal keepsake and sentimental homage to a cherished pet.
Yet observers of her art don’t usually go that far… at least not at first glance. They see her creations, take them at face value, and either think that they’re incredibly cute or incredibly creepy. Regardless, there’s no doubt that kids would love an Amelia Santiago sculpture of the family pet. One that doesn’t fuss about tugged tails; fits perfectly inside a travel bag for trips away from home; and can withstand the all-or-nothing attention children of a young age have to offer.
At an average cost of $240 per portrait (ordered through the website), Amelia’s creations are much more than plush toys. And like pets, they require a fair amount of T.L.C. While browsing the site, be sure to visit Amelia’s ‘happy client‘ page for subject/replica comparisons and a bit of canine comedy.
via DailyCandy
