Summary

I am lucky to have grown up in a dynamic and artistic environment. My studies were art based and I graduated with a BA Textile Design RMIT in 2008. Initial sketches for a toy collection were created several years ago and many characters have been developed since then. A love of textiles and oddities meet in my continuously growing assortment of characters.

Organisation

Team

Painting, stitching, stuffing and styling is all carefully executed by hand in my Yarra Valley studio.

Inspiration/Method

I am a collector at heart, so anything that inspires me gets added to my workbench. My studio is filled with fabric scraps, antique buttons, magazine clippings and stickers. I like to dig around and find the perfect little decoration to use at the right time.
Each toy begins with a painted face. I work with acrylic paint on canvas, sometimes referring to photography or old books. When the face is dry I spend time playing with fabric combinations and draught the form. A high level of finishing is important to me and I take time to built strong forms that will last. As the piece comes together I make decisions about how long, short, pointy, shiny and colourful things should be to suit the personality. I like to take a step back through the process to make sure all elements are working together. My toys are designed to bring new energy to a space, to encourage wonder and exercise the imagination.

Design Challenge

I chose to enter my latest project, Rascal Cat. I love his cheeky style and thought him to be a great culmination of my current work. He measures 55cms tall and has thick emerald fur. This fabric was adopted from a company who previously made pet beds, it was a small remnant and I had just enough. The fabric had great depth and colour and in this case I painted the face to match with this fascinating piece of fur. Rascal Cat sports hand painted shoes featuring tin toy mice characters.
My challenge is to deliver emotive characters and to create physical forms that did not exist anywhere before. I find it an inventive and natural process and each piece evolves in its own way.