Meet The Artist Behind Terra-Luna's Cotton Critters
Kelly Gallagher
“Every artist dips his brush in his own soul and paints his own nature into his pictures.”
— Henry Ward Beecher
“Almost all creativity involves purposeful play.”
- Abraham Maslow
My passion for antique holiday decorations, such as pine cone snowmen, bobble-headed bunnies, mischievous ghouls, and adorable elves lead me to create my spun cotton ornaments. These little Victorian-era curiosities have a long history that started in Germany over 150 years ago. Cotton fibers were “spun” onto wire armatures one thin layer at a time to create the form. Paint and an odd assortment of extra materials finish these miniature sculptures. When starting an ornament, I go into my studio and start to “play,” by tapping into my childhood memories and my love for nature and fantasy. I love to create Anthropomorphic creatures like my mushroom critters which use a wide variety of media, such as cotton fibers, crepe paper, wire, and paint.
As an art teacher for over thirty years, my goal was to instill a love for creating art in my students by sharing my art-making techniques and encouraging the students to develop their own twist on art. I am passionate about putting my twist on this folk-art form. It is my true desire that when one invests in my spun cotton artwork it fills them with joy and the knowledge that my cotton critters, like the Victorian ornaments from the past, will become cultural artifacts for future generations.
Cotton Critters - The Process
Spun cotton ornaments date back to the Victorian age when people would create hand-made gifts for the holidays. Christmas trees would be filled with creative anthropomorphic animals, woodland creatures, elves, fairies, and people. The materials were simple wire, adhesive, lots of cotton roving, and additional assortments of odds and ends for embellishments. Although the materials are simple. the process of constructing these ornaments took hours, as the artist spun thin strands of cotton around the wire armature to slowly build up the specific form. Once the form was complete, it was painted and completed with the finishing touches, such as a crepe paper skirt or a sprig of goose feathers. Like the antique spun cotton ornaments of days gone by, I hope my handmade and signed cotton critters bring you joy and become a timeless treasure.
