November 19 – December 5, 2010

Clarity Miller has created a fantastical world of plush animals, and this is her first show brining the last two years of her creations—over 40 different animals, creatures and other hand-sewn and stuffed delights—together in one place.

“Many of the pieces are soft sculpture fantasies that I’ve been floating around in my head for ages, and have finally materialized. I love the idea of making soft versions of things that are cold and hard by nature.”

One part of the show is titled The Future of Taxidermy and is composed of several stuffed animal heads mounted as traditional hunting trophies.

“It represents my belief that in this day and age, taxidermy, sport hunting, and fur are completely outdated.”

The more serious pieces in the show consist of a series of human-animal combination dolls. They are all women and girls, and further explore the human-animal creatures presented in mythology.

“I fell in love with these girls while I was making them- and tried to give them traits and adornments that I felt suited each human-animal personality.”

Clarity Miller may be best known as the Socktopus Lady, having almost single-handedly created a resurgence of contemporary sock-creatures such as her infamous “Punk Rock Sock Monkey” that features a traditional sock monkey dressed in punk-rock fashion, complete with a black anarchy shirt.

Sock monkeys and octopi are well represented in the show, with a dozen or so bizarre, funny, and unusual sock monkeys. There are conjoined twins, a rollerblader, and many others. 

About Clarity

Clarity Miller was raised on Guemes Island in Washington state and has been making things for as long as she can remember. She has a BA in film and photography from the Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA. She is a longtime member of the d.i.y. craft movement, and her work has been featured in the books Handmade Nation, Making Stuff, and Plush You as well as a number of magazines.

Clarity lives in Anacortes, WA with her husband and three year old son. She runs her craft business, Friends of Socktopus, from her home.