We're in "Aww!" of Adorable Wool Sculptures of Teeth and Veggies

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We're in "Aww!" of Adorable Wool Sculptures of Teeth and Veggies

If you don’t think that molars and bananas can be sexy, then you probably haven’t seen the needle-felted work of Maria Pogorelova.

As it turns out, teeth, and some of the foods they chew, make for some strangely alluring little wool sculptures. These adorably unexpected works from Ukrainian artist Maria Pogorelova are created by repeatedly piercing colorful pieces of wool with a notched needle in order to tangle the fibers into sculptural forms. And if you think that her little, wooly sculptures look like they came from some sort of enchanted forest, Pogorelova tells Creators that you're not far off. "In the summer, I can take the [wool] in a backpack, sit on a bicycle, and turn any beautiful place into my office. Fresh air and nature are very helpful in the work, but you need to be watchful and attentive with the needle," she says.

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Like many art students, when Pogorelova was in school she was concerned that she wouldn't have access to the facilities required to continue to make her work after she finished her studies. So, at the suggestion a friend, she tried needle felting wool and discovered that she loved working with a portable material that requires very little equipment. "A piece of wool and a needle, I took in my hands and unconsciously created a form, and then I began to understand what I had done," she explains.

All images courtesy of the artist.

The experiences that influence Pogorelova's idiosyncratic works are often reminiscent of play. "I'm inspired by travel, communication with friends, music, art (I love museums and paintings). And when all this is mixed up in me, I draw my sketches." Pogorelova says that she has been working like this since she began to draw when she was very young, and all of her work begins as sketches. "Mastering the technique and understanding the possibilities of the material, my consciousness switched to creating sketches," she says.

There's certainly a childlike quality to Pogorelova's wooly works that seems to be not only a manifestation of the influences that inspire them, but also the pleasure she takes in their creation. "I really enjoy watching and controlling the process and the end result. I sometimes get so carried away that I do not get up all day."