Insects aren’t easy creatures to love, but that’s not stopping many incredible artists from finding beauty in them. Rachel Gooden is one of them and she’s celebrating her fascination with these remarkable creatures through her incredibly detailed embroidery art.
Gooden wasn’t too crazy about embroidery in her youth and saw it as an “old lady” hobby, but she eventually fell in love with its slow and relaxing nature. Her creations now take three-dimensional shapes, but insects inspired them even when they were flat.
Gooden sees these creatures as a never-ending source of inspiration and she’s endlessly fascinated by their different sizes, shapes, and colors. From Swarovski crystals and beads to wires and fabrics, she uses all sorts of different materials to bring them to life and make them appealing to people who usually find them scary.
“I find that insects create quite the dual reaction – to some, such as myself, they are absolutely beautiful and engrossing but to others, they trigger the reaction of ‘oh my god, get those creepy crawlies away from me,’” she told Textile Curator.
Through her art, Gooden is trying to capture the awe of the natural world, but she claims her insects aren’t meant to be realistic replicas, but fantastical representations of these captivating creatures.
