I would like to make things that make people happy,
that transcend function, art-works trapped in the bodies of functional objects.
These objects say something about their owners, so they must reflect the ideal them.
As if they were normal people turned into superheroes through the lens of these delightful, functional, artful, transcendent objects.
I am currently enrolled in the University of Tasmania Bachelor of Environmental Design, Majoring in Furniture design and am working towards the graduate exhibition.
Here is some of the furniture I have made
The Wattle Bird cabinet is inspired bythe subtle pattern and shape of a wattle birds feathers and how they fold into each other.
This design is graphic and bold, it is made by cutting into a piece of black film face ply wood with a CNC router to reveal the underlying hoop pine layers, which are then stained a bright colour to contrast with the black surface
The Little Bird easy chair is a smallish chair that can work in ensemble or on its own. It is designed for the sitter to be laid back but still engaged and alert.
This shelving system is bold and simple. It is comprised of different sized ply wood boxes with mitre joins, Painted brightly, then stencilled with a contrasting spray paint with a pattern of a big old lobster. ( stay tuned for more patterns!) The Boxes can be mixed and stacked to the desired size and shape, from large ensembles to small two box stacks
As part of the Little Bird easy chair development, I designed fabric for the upholstery and realised these designs could work equally well on soft furnishings and clothing.
The patterns—named Silver Eye and Blue Wren—are screen printed and have a fat, bold, clumpy feel to them. Being hand made makes them irregular and unique.
Use this bright fabric for upholstery, soft furnishings or clothing. Printed on 100% cotton canvas, or the fabric of your choice.
Here are some of the things I make. some of them are for sale and some are not.
water colour on paper
I have worked as a maker for a long time. I have made props for theatre, big things for festivals and events, I have been a puppet maker and an exhibiting sculptor. All the work I have made in the past informs the work I make now. Here is a gallery of some of the stuff I’ve made.
Erth visual. Puppet construction
Erth Visual.
Copper, Brass wire
Comission.
commission
Bamboo Fabric
Erth Visual
comission
corporate commission
Peats Ridge Festival
erth
Erth
There are two important things I ask myself when designing anything: “How can I make this better?”, and “How can I make this elicit delight?”
I’m a Launceston based designer with a degree in Fine Arts and I am in my final year of a degree in Environmental Design majoring in Furniture Design at the University of Tasmania.
I have worked as a maker all my adult life, A maker of props and Big Things for events and theatre; A maker of puppets: life-sized dinosaurs for export to museums around the world, glove-puppets for school children.
I am a painter, sculptor, and musician.
I am an experienced teacher, facilitator and manager of art projects. I have worked on numerous festivals making giant lanterns and big objects.
All these experiences inform the things I now design and make and will design and make in future.
kath ellis