About Irina
Collectible animal sculpture in wool and natural fiber.
Irina Hughes is a fiber artist specializing in realistic animal and wildlife sculpture built by hand through needle-felting techniques.
Origin
Curiosity became the natural medium.
Irina discovered needle felting after seeing images of needle-felted animals on social media. Fascinated by what could be created with wool, she tried the medium herself and fell in love with both the material and the process of sculpting with it.
Practice
More than likeness: presence, expression, and character.
Irina studies personality, movement, anatomy, fur, eyes, paws, facial expressions, and subtle anatomical details. Her goal is not simply to make an animal look realistic, but to create a one-of-a-kind work that carries the individual character and presence of the animal.
Material And Process
Layer by layer, from soft fiber to sculptural form.
This is not quick craft work. Irina has spent years refining her sculptural technique, including traveling to Texas for specialized training, and some individual pieces require more than 100 hours from start to finish. Each sculpture is built entirely by hand, layer by layer, with armatures and additional materials used where necessary for structure and details such as eyes, noses, claws, paw pads, toenails, fur, facial structure, and expression.
Teaching
Sharing a patient sculptural process.
Irina has taught and recorded online master classes in realistic needle-felted animal sculpture. She has taught private online classes and guest-artist workshops, including workshops in Austin, Texas.