I want to hug a bear...
I want to squeeze bunnies, stroke foxes and pet wolves.
Basically any animal with fur and feathers invokes an uncontrollable urge to wrap my arms around it. Combining my passions for nature, animals, photography, pyrography, tribal patterns and my obsession to constantly make things is how Barker Wild came to be.

My name is Karen Barker and I'm the creator, designer, maker and seller at Barker Wild. I enjoy working with a wide variety of materials but have narrowed down my favorites to wood, leather, yarn and mixed media sculptures.

PYROGRAPHY BURNING...
Pyrography is the art of burning by hand- like a painting or drawing. There is NO laser burning or machine cutting involved in my jewellery making process, each piece is unique wearable art.
I started burning on wood in 2012 which immediately turned into an enjoyable obsession, I turn hand-cut & sanded pieces of wood into detailed textured drawings. I've spent many hours perfecting my craft and the ability to neatly hand-burn fine lines and detail.

Burning on leather is something I stumbled across while experimenting with some cow-hide. It's very different from burning on wood but produces the same beautiful etches.
As an animal lover, I only use ethically farmed leather (happy cows from quality controlled local farmers).

THE OBSESSION CONTINUES...
In the evenings, when I'm not able to make a mess in the workshop, I found myself getting anxious not being able to 'create', so I picked up a pair of needles and started making knitted goodies. My hands have to be making something at all times, they only rest when I'm asleep!
I mainly use acrylic / cotton yarn and occasionally home-spun wool from local farmers, as most craft shop wool is imported from countries that take part in animal cruelty practices, such as Angora rabbits & Sheep that are routinely abused for their wool. (PETA videos can be seen on youtube).
All my products are sourced to avoid animal abuse.

I also enjoy creating mixed media paper mache sculptures. They are all one-of-a-kind, sculpted entirely by hand (no molds). I love how each piece is different as I believe handmade products should be truly unique.

Every piece I make is lovingly hand-crafted to perfection. Quality wearable art, accessories and home decor available to animal lovers worldwide.
Thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings and mosey through my shop of wild goodies.

Barker Wild is on twitter, facebook, instagram, pinterest & tumblr.