
Lauren Loran | Loranimals:
I have always been a “maker”. I am retired from a career in graphic arts where I used a computer every day. I now am free to get back to creating with my hands. I discovered needle felting the winter of 2018 after my daughter gave me a kit as a gift—and I have been going strong ever since. I started very small, and began making likenesses of dogs that I know, and have moved to making animals of all kinds. Building a sculpture in wool is a slow, but very satisfying process. I am happy to share my work online and in a few craft shows per year.
Is there a story behind your business name?
A friend, when asked what might be a good name, said: LORANIMALS, of course. He was right!
What is your medium of choice?
I use sheep's wool, alpaca wool, and I have also been collecting my golden retriever's fur but have not tried that yet.
Why have you chosen your current medium?
I quickly became addicted to this craft after exploring YouTube tutorials about needle felting with wool.
What's your typical day?
My husband is an early riser so he has already fed the cat and taken the dog for a walk. I probably average 4-6 hours per day needle felting when I am not traveling.
Why do you feel your art/craft is important/relevant today?
I am not sure how important my art is, other than we all need a way to bring a little joy into our lives. My loranimals seem to always make people smile, so I think I help myself and others in that way.
What has been the most difficult challenge for you as an artist/maker?
I guess it is finding a market for my work and getting the word out that I accept commissions of beloved pets. I had attended only three craft venues before everything went virtual. When people can touch and hold my work I get a great response. So, now the challenge is to create some intimacy, and excitement through virtual opportunities like the 2020 AMUSE ART and CRAFT FAIR!
What is the most gratifying part of making your work?
The joy part I mentioned earlier.
Where do you find inspiration?
Since animals are my main focus, as you might imagine there is inspiration everywhere!
Where is your studio/work space?
During the COVID shutdown we have renovated my work space in our home and included a nice cubicle storage system for different colored wool, and tools. I still use the computer, mostly for researching images of the animals I am sculpting.
What's your typical studio playlist?
I actually watch a lot of Netflix and Amazon Prime. Music I love is quite eclectic.
How do you get yourself out of a creative rut?
I haven't found myself in the rut yet. But I am alway looking for new challenges, and also how to combine my felting with other media.
Favorite blog/movie/tv show/book that never fails to inspire or just clears the mind:
I have been watching "Call the Midwife" on NetFlix. The characters and storylines are moving through history on the east side of London. I am up to the 1960s. No matter the challenges that they face, there is always a good resolution by the end. So I guess I like happy endings.
Share your process - bonus points if there's a story behind it:
I always do visual research first, often creating a sketch to the scale that I want to make my sculpture. The sketch helps me to keep proportions correct. Needle felting is a very slow process beginning with a bit of wool rolled tightly into a ball or oval shape. The barbed needle is inserted into the balled wool over and over again. As the needle goes in then out it catches the wool fibers, bringing them closer and closer together. The sculpture sometimes includes a wire armature which is created first. The sculptures are created in an additive process, with the basic shape(s) made of core wool, and then color details added on top. Legs, tails, ears etc. are created separately then added to the basic shape with more wool.
What's your dream project - if you had all the time and materials in the world?
Right now my craft is very solitary. I do like to collaborate, so my dream project would be to work together with other artists to combine different mediums on a large scale that would represent the trouble and divide our country finds ourselves in 2020. And and to send a message of healing and hope. I enjoyed seeing the many Black Lives Matter street art, and I remember the Aids Memorial Quilt Project in Washington DC., 1987. This remains the largest piece of community folk art in the world.
What artists influence your work/who are your creative idols?
The needle felting artists who have shared tutorials and wisdom on YouTube have helped me immensely. Other craft artists that I have met through craft fairs or on Instagram continually encourage and educate me. Baltimore's own Joyce J. Scott, ACC's 2020 Gold Metal Winner for Consummate Craftsmanship is definitely a Creative Idol! Her mediums of fabric (quilting), beads, and more recently also blown glass have elevated craft into a recognized art form.
Describe yourself in 5 words:
Beauty is in the details.
Describe your work in 5 words:
Happy. Fuzzy. Joyful. Well crafted. (that's five words)
Tell us something funny or exciting that has happened in regards to your artwork/craft:
One lovely spring day I moved my work outside. There was a gentle breeze and I was in my happy place. I stepped indoors for something (maybe more coffee) and when I returned the small sheep I had been working on had disappeared. I finally found it in the pachysandra quite dismantled with my dog, Manny looking at me with a sheepish grin. (I can laugh at this now--pun intended).
How do you find balance?
I not too good with balance. I tend to work, work, work when I should be exercising!
Is there anything you'd like the public to know about your work upon purchasing it?
My sculptures are made to last (given reasonable care)–like do not let the dog get ahold of it. Each sculpture is hand made from 100% wool. I sometimes use a wire armature for stability. These are not meant as toys for young children but those without glass eyes or any armature would not cause any potential harm.
Shop Loranimals here
I have always been a “maker”. I am retired from a career in graphic arts where I used a computer every day. I now am free to get back to creating with my hands. I discovered needle felting the winter of 2018 after my daughter gave me a kit as a gift—and I have been going strong ever since. I started very small, and began making likenesses of dogs that I know, and have moved to making animals of all kinds. Building a sculpture in wool is a slow, but very satisfying process. I am happy to share my work online and in a few craft shows per year.
Is there a story behind your business name?
A friend, when asked what might be a good name, said: LORANIMALS, of course. He was right!
What is your medium of choice?
I use sheep's wool, alpaca wool, and I have also been collecting my golden retriever's fur but have not tried that yet.
Why have you chosen your current medium?
I quickly became addicted to this craft after exploring YouTube tutorials about needle felting with wool.
What's your typical day?
My husband is an early riser so he has already fed the cat and taken the dog for a walk. I probably average 4-6 hours per day needle felting when I am not traveling.
Why do you feel your art/craft is important/relevant today?
I am not sure how important my art is, other than we all need a way to bring a little joy into our lives. My loranimals seem to always make people smile, so I think I help myself and others in that way.
What has been the most difficult challenge for you as an artist/maker?
I guess it is finding a market for my work and getting the word out that I accept commissions of beloved pets. I had attended only three craft venues before everything went virtual. When people can touch and hold my work I get a great response. So, now the challenge is to create some intimacy, and excitement through virtual opportunities like the 2020 AMUSE ART and CRAFT FAIR!
What is the most gratifying part of making your work?
The joy part I mentioned earlier.
Where do you find inspiration?
Since animals are my main focus, as you might imagine there is inspiration everywhere!
Where is your studio/work space?
During the COVID shutdown we have renovated my work space in our home and included a nice cubicle storage system for different colored wool, and tools. I still use the computer, mostly for researching images of the animals I am sculpting.
What's your typical studio playlist?
I actually watch a lot of Netflix and Amazon Prime. Music I love is quite eclectic.
How do you get yourself out of a creative rut?
I haven't found myself in the rut yet. But I am alway looking for new challenges, and also how to combine my felting with other media.
Favorite blog/movie/tv show/book that never fails to inspire or just clears the mind:
I have been watching "Call the Midwife" on NetFlix. The characters and storylines are moving through history on the east side of London. I am up to the 1960s. No matter the challenges that they face, there is always a good resolution by the end. So I guess I like happy endings.
Share your process - bonus points if there's a story behind it:
I always do visual research first, often creating a sketch to the scale that I want to make my sculpture. The sketch helps me to keep proportions correct. Needle felting is a very slow process beginning with a bit of wool rolled tightly into a ball or oval shape. The barbed needle is inserted into the balled wool over and over again. As the needle goes in then out it catches the wool fibers, bringing them closer and closer together. The sculpture sometimes includes a wire armature which is created first. The sculptures are created in an additive process, with the basic shape(s) made of core wool, and then color details added on top. Legs, tails, ears etc. are created separately then added to the basic shape with more wool.
What's your dream project - if you had all the time and materials in the world?
Right now my craft is very solitary. I do like to collaborate, so my dream project would be to work together with other artists to combine different mediums on a large scale that would represent the trouble and divide our country finds ourselves in 2020. And and to send a message of healing and hope. I enjoyed seeing the many Black Lives Matter street art, and I remember the Aids Memorial Quilt Project in Washington DC., 1987. This remains the largest piece of community folk art in the world.
What artists influence your work/who are your creative idols?
The needle felting artists who have shared tutorials and wisdom on YouTube have helped me immensely. Other craft artists that I have met through craft fairs or on Instagram continually encourage and educate me. Baltimore's own Joyce J. Scott, ACC's 2020 Gold Metal Winner for Consummate Craftsmanship is definitely a Creative Idol! Her mediums of fabric (quilting), beads, and more recently also blown glass have elevated craft into a recognized art form.
Describe yourself in 5 words:
Beauty is in the details.
Describe your work in 5 words:
Happy. Fuzzy. Joyful. Well crafted. (that's five words)
Tell us something funny or exciting that has happened in regards to your artwork/craft:
One lovely spring day I moved my work outside. There was a gentle breeze and I was in my happy place. I stepped indoors for something (maybe more coffee) and when I returned the small sheep I had been working on had disappeared. I finally found it in the pachysandra quite dismantled with my dog, Manny looking at me with a sheepish grin. (I can laugh at this now--pun intended).
How do you find balance?
I not too good with balance. I tend to work, work, work when I should be exercising!
Is there anything you'd like the public to know about your work upon purchasing it?
My sculptures are made to last (given reasonable care)–like do not let the dog get ahold of it. Each sculpture is hand made from 100% wool. I sometimes use a wire armature for stability. These are not meant as toys for young children but those without glass eyes or any armature would not cause any potential harm.
Shop Loranimals here