Peek into my studio & practises…

During my Open Studios people often ask me about how I make my work. They also tend to be intrigued by my cabinet of curiosities.

So…. as not everyone will be able to visit me in London (UK), I thought I’d welcome my online visitors into my weird world by giving you a peek into my process and studio practises:

I like playing under a table…

Visitors often comment on the size of my studio. It’s less than three metres square and doesn’t have a window. They wonder how I have room for all those models, sets, and all those found objects. But to create the right mood for my worlds I need complete control of light and shadows, so for the time being it’s the perfect hideaway.

Perhaps even more importantly, many of my most treasured childhood memories are of building whole worlds underneath a small, round table with a long tablecloth over it. My family patiently stepped over the overspill – thanks guys! And that’s what my studio feels like to me: as if I am back under that huge tablecloth, building worlds. And it’s not a bad place to be, even if some people seem to think my work is spooky. Would I like to graduate to a larger table one day? Sure!

I like making weird stuff

When I first started making my characters, I started by making tiny wigs. I can’t tell you why. But I did. Since making my first prints I’ve progressed to creating whole, slightly rough dolls as a base for my digital character work. I love the tactile process of building small sets, backgrounds, props and figures. That, together with my digital work, brings me closer to creating the creatures and worlds that live in my strange head.

I’m a magpie

My figures are created from a range of stuff: things I collect from the beach, forest walks, city walks, rubbish I was about the throw out; such as parts of lamps, knackered shoes, and anything that grabs my attention. Yes, I blushingly admit that I did take an entire Dell computer apart and am still storing every. Single. Bit. On my weekly epic walks with my partner I am known for carrying tupperware with me – for those delicate treasures I am sure to bump into. Look, I just ‘NEED’ that. (Apparently the line is crossed at carrying sharp, shattered car glass loose in my thin pockets).

I’m not a photographer (but I do take a lot of photos)

I like photography. I would love to be better at it. But I embrace my limitations and use a ‘point-and-shoot’ approach to capture the patterns, textures, and strange organic details that I find on my explorations. So I make a LOT of photos on the go, outside of the studio. I also get given some wonderful photos by my globetrotting dad. So there are inspirations from all over the world going into my work. I love learning as I work, and turning my mistakes into my technique. Happy accidents are very much at the heart of my practice. The only thing that I don’t deviate from as I work is the single core emotion that I decide upon whenever I start a new picture. So, “controlled chaos” is my M.O.

Digital allows me to dream

I’ve lived and worked in a lot of different industries and worlds, creative and corporate, intuitive and intellectual, and I’ve met and worked with the people who inhabit those worlds: all of this diversity, and the skills I’ve developed along the way, can now go into my work. If I started my life again, there may be a few things I’d do to make the ride a bit smoother. But I’d still be happy if the ride brought me here. It’s something I’m grateful for. I’m especially pleased that one of the skills I picked up along the way is Photoshop. It’s helped unlock the worlds I always imagined, and I feel truly liberated now that I can turn that key and let the creatures run free.

Thanks for visiting my site and reading all along to the end.

And to wrap up, here an irregular view of my studio…

I sometimes take part in an Open Studios event, this is what my studio looks like during those days…