Many people fear insects, but how would you feel about them if they were made of fiber? We’ve seen many textile artists try to realistically recreate the magic of these curious creatures using needle and thread, and Yumi Okita is one of the few who actually succeeded.
The Japanese-born artist based in North Carolina, Okita focuses on capturing the realism of nature and manipulating it into the world of imagination through her art. She uses a wide range of different materials to craft these embroidered winged creatures, making them as lifelike as possible.
From hand-painted fabric, embroidery threads, feathers, and faux fur, no material is off-limits for this creative textile artist. She uses them all to recreate the beautiful wings, hairy legs, and antennas of different types of insects that she’s celebrating through her work.
One thing that separates Okita’s creations from real butterflies and moths is their size. In order to emphasize the details, her insects can be anywhere between 3.5 to 4.5 inches tall, with their magnificent wings reaching up to 10 inches in width.
Okita also doesn’t shy away from taking artistic liberties, and using patterns and colors that can’t be found in nature, but she usually tries to be as realistic as possible, listing specific species as inspiration.
