Darci Lenker

About

Darci Lenker is a Norman fiber artist specializing in thread painting, a form of embroidery where many layers of threads are used to create detailed images, and needle felting, where barbed needles are used to tangle wool into a sculpture or fabric. She finds inspiration anywhere there are interesting colors, textures, light, and shadows, and enjoys the challenge of using thread and wool to capture realistic images.

Q&A

How did you start pet portraits?
I started pet portraits on a whim when someone requested one for a charity fundraiser I was helping with.

What's your favorite animal to paint/sculpt/photograph etc?
Cats!

Do you have any pets? Are they an inspiration in your work?
I have five cats and two dogs. I have done a pet portrait of some form of almost all of them.

Any advice for artist getting into pet portrait work?
Just go for it. There are a ton of artists that do pet portraits because there is a good market for it, but it also doesn't feel overly saturated because most people that will commission a pet portrait really love their pets and don't mind having more than one portrait of them.

Do you take commissions?
Yes! www.darcilenkerart.com