The Art of Annie Montgomerie: Flocked and Socked

There are 70,000 Instagram followers who go crazy for Annie Montgomerie's "beautiful," "amazing," "awesome," dirty-kneed, filthy-sleeved, sculpted animals dressed in stitched-together vintage finds -- and those are just the ones who are already following her and selling out her every gallery show. With the release of The Art of Annie Montgomerie: Flocked and Socked, the first book dedicated to her work, these fans now have a way to share their obsession with their fellow collectors -- and something they can actually buy that hasn't already been sold out from under them. U.K.-based mixed-media artist Annie Montgomerie creates individual and unique sculptures from "upcycled" children's dolls, bits of velvet and leather, vintage buttons and charms -- whatever she can find that speaks to her love of styles from horror to twee. The result is a world of animals that sits somewhere between Frankenstein and Peter Rabbit. "I don't mind admirers of my work saying it's cute but I hope my art has more to say. I like to skirt around the outside of dark with a hint of sorrow or regret that goes with the passing of time," she says. Vice described her work as "Hovering between pop culture and fine art ... off-kilter and weird in the same way cats are." Those tens of thousands of social-media followers are more to-the-point with comments like "gorgeous," "magnificent," and "They are all so cuuuute " And just as her every gallery show sells out, we expect this book to sell out.