Here's a little Q&A with her about her work...

Q:  I recently posted a photo of your ships on my blog and everyone really loved them.  They are so whimsical and dreamy.  What was the inspiration behind the ships?  

A: I was inspired by a ship mobile I saw in a downtown Toronto shop window. They were small - no bigger than two inches high - but I liked the idea of flying ships, and decided to make some on a larger scale. What I enjoyed most about the process was the act of transforming a pile of scraps into something beautiful - a torn tea-stained bed sheet, an old magazine, and some pieces of string. I deliberately left them looking whitewashed and a little scrappy.

(I have since discovered that there are several other artists out there like Ann Wood, who do flying ships much better. If you really want to be nautically inspired, you should check out her work!)

Q: What makes you passionate?  What inspires you?

A: Most of the time, it's the thought: "I wonder if I could make that?"

And I am often inspired by other artists. For example my heart in a ribcage paper sculpture  was inspired by this piece by the collage artist Lilliana Pereira. And making that piece inspired a series of other anatomical paper sculptures. I am attracted to a certain aesthetic, which I think comes through in the things I choose to make. I like white. I like miniature things. I like things that are faded. I like human anatomy, diagrams, maps, blueprints, gears, owls, ships, hot air balloons, houses, portraits, books, paper, wood, among other things.

Q: After looking through your blog and your etsy shop, I am surprised at the number of different mediums you work in... ceramics, printing, clay, acrylics, paper mache, miniatures, knitting, candlemaking, shadowboxes, leather work!  It seems like you can do anything!  How do you work successfully with so many different mediums? 

A: I think of myself as less of an artist and more of a maker. I am addicted to making things. I am not very conceptual about my work. I get high off of watching something beautiful manifest out of nothing. I'm not trained as an artist, so for me it's easy to switch between different media. I like working with paper, fabric, clay - with things that are versatile and tactile. 

Q:  How do you keep all of your projects organized and work with so many different tools and art forms?

A: Most of the projects I make are gifts. So organization isn't an issue because I give them all away. Also, most of the time I am not using the tools "correctly". 

I have a bit of an obsessive personality and I find that making things is a positive way of channeling that energy. I like actions that are repetitive, like knitting, or drawing repeating patterns. I also like actions that are transformative where my hands are creating something from nothing, like sculpting with paper or clay. I often have this feeling when I create that my brain is pushing its abstract contents through my hands into the world of objects. I think my most inspired work comes from an almost meditative state. One of my favourite recent projects is my little paper clothing inside light bulbs, which just came to me one night when I was sewing a miniature paper shirt and one of my light bulbs blew out. 

Q:  What are you working on now and where do you see your work going in the future?

A: At the moment I am enjoying painting ceramics. I like that it is a simple way to add beauty to everyday utilitarian objects. A project that I am about to embark on is making a wedding dress for a friend. I have barely any experience making clothes, and I know it's an ambitious place to start, so I am a little terrified. But also excited.

In the future I would like to continue doing what I am doing. I am actually a film editor by day. I fantasize about opening up a little shop one day. But I love editing too, so I'm not sure yet how that will work.