"I have always been fascinated by the shapes and sculptural forms of animals," Franc says on her website. "I increasingly use recycled and discarded materials as I enjoy the challenge of transforming something with a past history into something new and exciting."
She tries to preserve the natural shape and pose of animals, so the sculptures look as if these animals were caught in a moment.
Barbara Franc has been particularly recognized for her textile animals and has taught several workshops in Australia, France, and the UK in 2020. The artist told Bored Panda about how she came up with the idea to turn her hoard of old fabrics into animals.
"I have a large hoard of old fabrics, especially natural fibers like wool, linen, and cotton. I just hate to see them being thrown out, so that’s when I came up with the idea of making animals with textile coverings. Dogs were the first that came to mind and Rufus, my dog, has been used quite a bit as my model and inspiration."
"I start with my wire armature which I stuff very firmly with old newspapers, creating the muscular structure. I bind this form very tightly with a stretch material stitched into place. At this stage it looks a touch unsettling as it looks as if the dog has no hair." Franc uncovered what goes on behind the scenes of crafting a textile animal. "I can then judge if the form needs extra muscle shape or fat anywhere, which I can add on with more padding. Then the very enjoyable and fairly relaxing part of choosing which fabrics to use, fraying the edges, and then stitching them into place can happen. They are definitely the most enjoyable pieces to work on, it is a joy to see them start to take on their own character."
