Interview of Eryka Garbutt Designs

Today I'm interviewing Eryka Garbutt Designs of Canberra which is the capital city of Australia.

Here is what she had to say:

What is your art/craft and how long have you been doing it?

Decoupage is my obsession, however 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.


What got you started?
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.

Are there any other arts and crafts that you would like to try your hand at? If so, why?
Polymer clay. I have all the equipment necessary and I am mentally ready but as yet time eludes me. I am fascinated at the different effects you can achieve from some blocks of plain coloured blocks of clay. There are some very talented artists out there and they inspire me.

What are your favorite materials to use?

Paper. 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.

What and/or who inspires you? (you can use people's Etsy shops and/or websites as examples)

I love designs that are a bit different. Nerreda Singleton is a decoupage artist I admire, I love Alfons Mucha, Art Deco, Art Nouveau.

Rebecca Tenace http://www.clayartist.net/ is very innovative.  Chelsea Stevens http://www.etsy.com/shop/HerWhimsy does some really nice work.

Do you have a Coupon Code?

If you visit my website and look under products you will find, "discount voucher" and "gift certificate". On these I offer 10% discount on any item in my store.

http://erykasplace.com/