Animal Magic

April/June 2005

Animal Magic is an exhibition of life sized wild animals and birds by Yorkshire based artist Karen Trower. Karen studied design and ceramics in Madrid from 1974 to 1980 and returned to Spain in 1997 after spending the 1980's and early 90's as a designer of leatherware and leather clothing for a number of high profile London companies.

She worked on numerous projects in Spain with interior designer Nacho Moscardo and exhibited there until her return to the UK in 2003. Karen works from her studio in Bridlington and has exhibited in Scarborough, the Lake District, Cornwall and now Craven.

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Because of her extensive experience of the qualities and potential of leather, Karen has been able to come close to technical perfection with her soft leather and suede sculptures. She first constructs a metal skeleton for each animal before thousands of pieces of leather and suede are individually stitched together to form a life like full size animal sculpture.

Her knowledge of the medium means she is able to choose the correctly textured piece of suede or leather to create an ostrich's feathers, or rhino's hide. All the pieces are very tempting to touch, so Karen has sensibly included two pieces in the exhibition which are specifically for touching - the vulture and the little owl.

Karen is intrigued with wild animals because of humankind's reaction to them: "Our instinctive, ancestral fear of wild animals and bugs is an anachronism. It would be more rational, in this modern world, to react this way to a car or a gun, both of which are far more likely to harm us" [Lyall Watson].

Karen wants to raise the issue of the unchanging human condition with her animal sculptures. Why do we still get a chill of excitement and fear when we see a wild animal, or representation of one, when most of us never have to deal with them? Why do we not express fear when faced with a gun or a car?

Craven District Council is delighted to offer residents and visitors the opportunity to view this amazing collection.

They will also be on show later in the year at the National Trust property Saltram Chapel Gallery in Devon from 30th July to 8th September 2005.

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Grateful Thanks to Karen Trower, for allowing the photography.
Page and pictures by CragFace.

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