Diana McKinnon

Artistic Textures

Grandson's commission

When your 8 year old grandson sends you a specific picture that "Nanny might like this for inspiration", a response is required.

A large octopus sculpture that he liked when visiting The Yorkshire Sculpture Park.

Octopus sculpture based on my Grandson's inspiration

It set the brain cells working.........was I going to make stuffed legs attached to a canvas? How could I achieve a mosaic look?

I decided the whole octopus was not the way to go - so I selected it's fantastic, sculptured eye.

I painted a piece of canvas to give me a base colour. I then cut up and bonded pieces of silk which I then free machined all over.

The eye had to be a statement! Silk, paint, stitch and moulded bubble wrap became a 3D eye that I stitched on.

All this wrapped over a canvas frame.

I was very pleased with the final piece.