Meet the Artist: Vani S Rao
Based in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, Vani has always found art to be a natural way of life. A versatile creator across multiple mediums, she has spent decades working with watercolors, acrylics, pipe liner artwork, clay idols, and embossing crafts. In 2018, she expanded her creative horizons into needle felting, quickly making it one of her most distinct and cherished signatures.
What makes Vani's work stand out is how she bridges her multidisciplinary background with the rich textures of pure Merino wool. Instead of traditional paints or clay, she uses raw, dyed fibers to sculpt dimensional 2D wall art and intricate 3D figures. Every piece is crafted entirely by hand, with thousands of precise needle strokes bringing loose wool into structured, expressive forms.