Thanks to the International Avenue Arts & Culture Community's (IAACC) sponsorship I was part of the Artist in Residency program at Fuse33 Makerspace (April - June 2024). My aim was to use a laser cutter to craft artwork that appeals to a contemporary audience's desire to tap into a sense of nostalgia for the magic of tactile storytelling.
Work In Progress: Designed with the intention of unfolding into a three-dimensional representation of a house. Each page reveals a different room, offering an immersive experience.
1. House Book - One Story. Size - 22 in W by 2.75 in H. Medium: Papercraft - 65 lb Cardstock
2. House Book - One Story Alternative Ending. Size: 22 in W by 2.75 in H. Medium: Papercraft - 65 lb Cardstock
3. House Book - Two Stories. Size: 11 in W by 5.5 in H. Medium: Papercraft - 65 lb Kraft Paper
4. Room With View. Size: 3.5 in W by 2.2 in H. Medium: Paper Craft - Watercolor Paper
5. Shut The Front Door. Size: 4.75 W by 2.75 in H. Medium: Paper Craft - Cardstock
MEDIA: Paper-craft, Written word
Toast For Butter Days Sandwich was designed to be a touchstone reminder of a topic covered at a Sparks (Girl Guides of Canada) meeting. The aim was to create artwork that could be easily assembled by five and six-year-olds. The poem uses puns associated with the parts of the sandwich to communicate the message focusing on conflict resolution.
Toast For Butter Days
Lettuce do our best to talk it out,
Be kind and make the world a cheddar place,
If we disagree, we will try to meat in the middle,
Say, “I care from my head to-ma-toes”,
And, always remember to loaf one another
Dimensions: 1 in W by 1 in H (approx.)
MEDIA: Paper-craft, Mixed Media
I crafted this wee dragon as a reminder to just breathe. Sometimes, it is useful to visually create what we need.
Breathe like a dragon; inhale love and exhale fear. The art reflects how the breath is such a powerful regulation tool. It can help us to relax. With each inhale, we can intentionally focus on the now, allowing us to calm our anxious mind.
Dimensions: 2 in L by 0.5 in H (approx.)
MEDIA: Paper-craft, Mixed media
You Control Your Calm, uses existing puppet mechanics to investigate mindful principles. It is both art and a self regulation tool. The end product can help one to focus on their breath, to be present and in turn to regulate one's emotions.
See the functional art in action!
A fun way to calm your mind is to sync your breath with each movement of the puppet. Inhale - up, Exhale - down.
Dimensions: 3 in H x 1.5 in W (excludes length of fishing wire).
MEDIA: Graphic Design
Just Be: Wee Book is an example of the takeaway I give participants who attend my CRATE Art Therapy Workshop for Kids or Wee Ones.
The narrative form is a means to share information with simple graphics; it conveys what I plan to cover in the specific workshop. The content includes key points and interactive portions. The Just Be: Wee Book captures the simplicity of using a single piece of paper to craft a book.
Dimensions: 8.5 in W by 11 in H (folded into 2.75 W by 4.25 H)
MEDIA: Papercraft and mixed media
As a foundation, Let It Go, Just Blow uses the structure of a Rocket Straw to build a tangible self-regulation toy.
The functional art piece designed like a snowflake reinforces the concept of how intentional breathing can regulate both the body and emotions. The objective was for the art to act as an anchor to pull you back into the present moment.
Dimensions: 1 in X 1 in (approx.)
MEDIA: Construction Paper
Inspired By Type was an exploration of hand-cut typography; the aim was to create a bubble font. The aesthetically pleasing shapes of the letters showcases the words in a whimsical, fun way.
The readable and visually appealing letterforms elicit playful emotions, creating an aesthetically pleasing composition.
Dimensions: Each letter is 1 in H x 1.2 in W (approx.)
MEDIA: Kids Modelling Clay
Malleable can fit in my pocket, and the size of my thumb. Created as a coping mechanism, Malleable makes for the best fidget toy. Due to the nature of the material, the clay sculpture can be crushed, stretched and reshaped without drying out, allowing me to rebuild and craft another fun creature whenever I feel anxious.
Crafting the cartoonish figure out of clay was meditative in nature. Malleable's temporary state of being reminds me to focus on the now, demonstrating the creative process can be more important than the outcome.
Dimensions: 1 in W x 2.5 in H
MEDIA: Natural Material
Fall foliage was used to create the whimsical portraits of the Garden D’Angels. They are the imagined inhabitants of the Fairy Home I constructed using natural material as the base.
The corresponding video story - They Said, shares an adventure the Garden D’Angels go on.
Dimensions: 5 in H X 3 in W (approx.)
MEDIA: Natural Materials
To create a sense of wonder, the fairy home was constructed using natural material as the base. The Garden D’Angels are the imagined inhabitants.
Dimensions: 5 in H X 2 in W (approx.)
MEDIA: Modeling Clay
F.A.T. The Dragon captures the interconnectedness of thoughts, actions, feelings. The 3-D model is a non-verbal way to articulate how negative thoughts may lead to emotional distress and can show up as maladaptive behaviour. Or feelings of contentment can lead to positive outlook and be reflected in prosocial behavior.
F.A.T. The Dragon is an artwork that can be a learning tool for others; to better understand the influences that play a part in the human experience.
Dimensions: 5 in W by 2.5 in H (approx.)
MEDIA: Animated Canva Video
To Be A Blue Bee, is the story I created to capture my brainstorming process of exploring the topic of melancholy in relation to the homophones B, Be, Bee and blue.
This animated version of the narrative is a working copy using design elements from Canva to highlight the whimsical feel of the text. The final design for the narrative is still a work in progress.
Learn more about the behind the scenes, story making process by checking out the B Blue, A Work In Progress page.
Media: Terracotta Clay, Acetate Paper & Black Marker
The Bee (fer real) Sculpture captures a larger-than-life bee made out of terracotta clay and uses a wireframe as a skeleton base to build on.
An anatomically correct illustration was used as a reference to create realistic features.
Dimensions: 5 in’ L by 3 in’ H (approx.)
MEDIA: Textiles
By altering existing clothing, I design Wearable Art. The visual aesthetic of the textiles enables the wearer to transform into the character.
MEDIA: Mixed, Found Objects
I built the Portable Dollhouse for my nieces using a vintage suitcase as the foundation.
The furniture was created by repurposing found objects. For example, an iPhone box served as the framework for the stove, fridge, and couch (view the gallery of images to see the details of the individual pieces).
