|
Welcome to Eryka Garbutt Design's website, please have a look around. Eryka Garbutt is an indie artist based in Canberra, Australia but will happily ship worldwide. Eryka likes to call her style mixed media eclectic: by that she mean that she mixes materials and styles, such as wire coil with Swarovski crystals,hand made paper beads with glass beads.
Eryka Garbutt Designs sells in galleries and at craft fairs, and she is also happy to do personal showings in the Canberra region.
Her work is on display at Strathnairn Gallery, Holt and at Gungaderra Homestead, Harrison and is also available on line at Esty.
This is what Eryka has to say about her work.
Decoupage is my obsession, I love anything to do with paper, especially Japanese paper. My decoupage has taken a different direction and I am now decoupaging wooden beads and also making paper beads for my jewelry.
While Decoupage is my obsession, I avoid the traditional designs of flowers and angels and try for something different. Most of my work has an Art Nouveau influence. Canvas to jewelry to glass, furniture and house ware, I will decoupage with paper, fabric, real flowers and leaves. I believe a good piece of decoupage has a minimum for 20 layers of varnish to achieve that glass like finish.
I am proud to say that I am one of very few artists who create decoupage jewelry.
I just love Japanese and Indian paper, which I buy direct from the manufacturer. This ensures the quality and range of papers I have access to. Buying paper at the local craft store limits your choices.
I have been playing with wire and bead and Swarovski crystals. I prefer colours to just silver and gold I often make my own findings, chains, beads and focal beads. Currently I am experimenting with hand made paper beads, which I then lacquer and make into jewelry, my necklaces have been very popular.
In my previous life I was a Cad Operator (Computer aided drafting) and web site manager for the largest government building here in Canberra Australia. Most of my career was spent working in an ordered engineering environment. Everything had to fit preordained layouts, be symmetrical, aligned, no allowance for personal expression and differences were not tolerated.
When I retired I began decoupage and instead of this being my pastime it became a stepping-stone. I was introduced to flame glass beadwork and this started my expedition into jewelry. Then of course came decoupage jewelry and lacquered paper jewelry. Silk scarves and canvases closely followed this.
Paper is my favourite material. Even as a child I have been enamoured with paper. These days I just love Japanese paper. They manage to make miss matched colors work in their designs. They use bright colors; the texture is almost like fabric. I love designs that are a bit different.
Nerreda Singleton is a decoupage artist I admire, I love Alfons Mucha, Art Deco, Art Nouveau.
|
