About Laura
Born in South East London in 1981, Laura Cronin graduated with a BA in Fine Art Sculpture from Wimbledon School of Art in 2004.
Shortly after graduating, she began volunteering in a museum and picked up her first felting needle. The two elements have been entwined ever since!
Her miniature scenes are inspired by Victorian dioramas, but in contrast to their ‘real’ counterparts within naturalistic settings, she places her needle-felted animals within human-altered environments. At first they may appear to be simple animal representations, but once you find the hidden details, they take on a new meaning.
Her faux-taxidermy animals inhabit both natural and urban environments and explore issues such as climate change and habitat loss.
Pigeons are a favourite muse and inhabit both solemn and light-hearted observations. These range from miniature sculptures to wool paintings and even super-sized specimens. Another favourite is the mythical Fiji mermaid originally found in 19th sideshows, now rendered by Laura in felted form.
Laura has a strong maker’s ethos, a belief in craftsmanship and the role of the artist’s own hand.
Laura undertakes a wide range of commissions, and her work has featured in exhibitions at The Horniman Museum and The Scottish Maritime Museum as well as at MAC Birmingham as part of “Grayson’s Art Club The Exhibition”