Joy in making

Sometimes my creative fancy takes forms in design and construction not always in painting, but often derived from my paintings in some way, made of or including tiny original paintings, or printed from one of my original paintings onto fabric.

Creating these designs gives me as much pleasure as painting; at least for short periods of time, until I saturate my desire for them.  It provides me with a  much needed diversion, especially when I have painting 'dry spells' or I'm stymied in some way while working through my usual painting process.  It's a common complaint for many artists, and getting going again can often be baby steps in new directions; the creative muse soon returns and all is good with the world

 

I think of making my handmade goods as an extension of  what I like to do and who I am.  Prototypes for these ideas often die in infancy, but some survive and come into fruition.  It can take a long time to bring a handmade into production.  Beginning from the time the idea drives my creativity,  I can spend hours laboring on different ways to make it work...then a long time tweaking, to make time, cost, and construction methods suitable for producing it.  It needs to meet a certain aesthetic that works with my art, but also stands alone.

Tiny Townscape Chocolates

'Chickadee'  - cushion -SOLD

Original designs and small product lines are always the driving force behind anything I create in the handmade goods market.  

I love the unique quality of making something out of time and love. That doesn't necessarily transfer to profitability but I don't always care about that. It satisfies me to 'make things' and if I sell them, well then it's a bonus for me.  I don't have an interest in scaling up to large production; small production is what makes them special and uniquely mine.  I find this ethos is a quality that people who buy my handmade goods are looking for... something distinct and one-off.