Carola van Dyke's Taxidermy animals and cushions turn heads.

Ever feel sometimes you're being watched?  

I was perusing the aisles at the Pulse London 2014 show held at Earls Court this week and found these characters looking down on me.  They are designer Carola Van Dyke’s realistic and expressive taxidermy textile animal heads.

Equally realistic and adorable are her cushions with cool animals' faces - posting as if their portraits are being taken. 

 Done individually and entirely by hand, these lovely home accessories are made up of an eclectic mix of vintage and modern fabrics in studios in the South of England. 

The “cast of characters” range from Highland bulls to Shetland ponies, brown country hares to pheasants and stags. Don’t forget swans, cockatoo, tree frogs, and even a whale and a Bambi. For dog lovers there are poodles, bulldogs, golden Retrivers, Jack Russells, spaniels and bull terriers, and more.

Carola van Dyke showing at
Pulse London until 13 May.

With a background in textiles and fashion illustration, Carola van Dyke, who spent her childhood in the Netherlands,  is truly an artist with an eye for detail, a passion for colour and a strong connection with her subjects.   I'd like to compare her work with Matisse's cut-outs (currently on show at Tate Modern).  What the great master did with scissors and paper,  Carola does it with scissors and fabrics.  

Another was a collaboration with ceramics company Magpie to produce a collection of crockery featuring her Beasties textiles.  Some examples of the ceramic plates are shown above.

A little admirer at Carola van Dyke's
stand at the Pulse 2014 London show.

One can see why her textile taxidermy heads have been popular since their launch in 2011.  One of her latest projects was to create a display for Liberty London, creating textile animals with Liberty scarves. Carola's uses a wide range of fabrics, from cotton to wool, velvets, tweeds, lace and even old Kilim rugs.
"When I started 4 years ago, I would use odds and ends but now I buy rolls and rolls of fabrics and hire a team of people to fulfill the orders I receive.  But I love the ability to create individual pieces on a personal level,” said Carola.

So what’s next?

“I would love to do people, like historical characters - Queen Victoria, Marie Antoinette or Henry the VIII, or different professional characters that people can identify with” she said.  In Carola's talented hands, these characters would surely come alive.

Visit Carola van Dyke's website to see the full range of her creations.

All pictures by Lucia Carpio for My Fashion Connect.