I discovered Mister Finch’s work online. His wondrous animals, birds, mushrooms are lovingly made by hand, inspired by nature and by his country’s folklore. With help from his admin, I found these answers to questions I had about his work:
- Can you briefly describe your artwork?
I am a textile artist who creates nature-inspired pieces from whatever materials I can find. I work alone on limited-edition creations from my studio in Leeds, Yorkshire, UK. With an old sewing machine, I got started using any scraps and materials I had at hand: rescued old clothes, old velvet drapes, tablecloths, discarded wire, steel, wood, silverware. My work responds to what I find fascinating about woodland animals – their life cycles, their mysteries, their extraordinary behaviors. These creatures exist in a magical world where anything is possible.
- What have you completed most recently?
My latest accomplishment is the gallery exhibition, Mister Finch’s Handmade Museum. The exhibition is a cabinet of curiosities of one-of-a-kind art like overgrown mushrooms, huge moths and butterflies, insects, birds – pretty and poisonous. Here’s the description from the gallery website: “The exhibition immerses the viewer in a makeshift natural history museum that is also a surreal fantasy realm. Made almost entirely from cotton fabric manipulated to dazzling effect, Mister Finch’s Handmade Museum includes over 50 new works by the artist.” Here’s an example: Pink and Orange Dead Birds (hand-sewn sculpture of fabric scraps, plastic, paper, wire, fake flower petals, clay, floral tape, and found objects).
- What accomplishment are you most proud of?
Definitely it’s having a solo show in a gallery in New York – at Steven Kasher Gallery.
- What is the most important advice you can give artists?
Avoid negative people. You know what’s best for you, so do that. Focus on everything that can go right, everything that could be amazing and all the places it could take you, not what if it goes wrong. The world is a beautiful place filled with endless possibilities – believe that and that’s the world that will present itself to you.
- Can you tell us about your background and how this has had an influence on your work?
For a long time I made jewelry, but started to hate how so many people were involved in getting my jewelry produced, photographed, and seen. The fashion scene wasn’t for me. I dug out my sewing machine, I got started sewing, and it all felt right. I never looked back.
- What is your studio like? Do you work and spend time in your studio in the traditional sense?
My studio is in a home not far from the Yorkshire Dales. It is full of books, glass jars, and naughty cats. My day begins at around 9am. I drink lots of tea, and if I’m in my workroom and not due to leave the house then I usually work for 12 to 14 hours, and this is every day. I really love what I do and I work as hard as I can at it.
- What was your best decision?
To risk everything and start sewing.
- Has your work changed in the past few years? How so?
It seemed I was always looking for the right medium to express myself in and I feel that I have found it. All the things I wanted to create and all the ideas I had for years have now come out in my work. There is so much to constantly learn, new stitches, dyeing techniques. It’s always evolving.
- Who inspires you?
I adore working alone and making everything myself. But I admire anyone who has overcome great obstacles or hardships in his life. And I would love to meet Pierre Jaquet-Droz, the incredible automata creator.
- What else are you passionate about?
Searching for fabric everywhere, collecting old books, finding wooden bobbins and stashing velvet curtains that will come in useful when I get that big old house. Love cats. Watching documentaries, old interviews with faded film stars, sewing spiders late at night, rescuing large metal scissors and getting them sharpened, drinking too much tea, listening to the Cocteau Twins too loud, and hearing a new song and playing it over and over again, small brass chairs and tiny metal shoes, cheese and wine, autumn and watching the summer die and getting all wrapped up, and then when it snows at night and everything is silent, everything is white.
suzanne hill 