An idea that came to Stacy Madden while on maternity leave has led to a new, creative wall art business.
MATERNITY LEAVE SAW STACY MADDEN RETURN TO HER ARTISTIC ROOTS – AND CREATE A THRIVING BUSINESS.
BECOMING A MUM for the second time changed Stacy
Madden’s life. Amid the night feeds and the nappies, she made space for an art practice that’s grown beyond anything she could have imagined.
“I was on maternity leave with Harper, who’s now five,” says Stacy, who lives with husband Stuart Greensill, a property valuer, and their son
Ziggy, eight, on Queensland’s
Sunshine Coast. “Our yard was full of palms that would drop down beautiful materials. They were very sculptural and tactile, and I thought ‘I could make something out of that’. It was as simple as that. I’m a creative person and I needed an outlet.”
Stacy studied fine art at university, majoring in sculpture, and had intended to start a photography business while on maternity leave. But once she noticed the palms, she couldn’t forget them. “I’ve always been obsessed with surfaces and materials that change and patina,” she says. Yet her focus at university was opposite to the natural materials she uses now. “I was working with discarded rubber and inner tubing and reworked them into delicate, flowing forms. The palms have the same appeal. I love the way the materials change when they’re in the trees and on the ground; how they weather, how they age, how they split; how you can reshape them, rework them. The opportunities are endless.”
Soon, a plan unfolded. “I love interiors and I saw a gap in the market for three-dimensional wall art. I had a pretty clear vision that I wanted to work with interior designers.” It didn’t take her long until her business, Woven Husk, was doing just that.
Art and commerce aren’t always the happiest of bedfellows, but Stacy’s savvy came from her previous job as a marketing designer. “Having a corporate career to this day surprises me, because I’m a creative person,” she says, “but I managed to find creative roles within that realm. It’s all helped me start and grow a business from scratch.”
And that business has grown and grown, attracting clients as far off as the US and UK – and she’s popular in Mexico, making pieces for renowned Coqui Coqui resort, as well as a new Four Seasons. “There’s a real connection between Mexico and Australia – the style, the aesthetic, the landscape,” Stacy says. All these happy clients find her via Instagram. “It blows my mind how people find me from all around the world. I have a website ready, and have to press go on it at some point, but I’ll miss interacting with clients. I like to get a feel for them and their home, or what the project’s like they’re working on. I love coming up with ideas for people.”
As her community of clients has grown, so has her local community, many of whom help her source materials. “An artist I’d never met, Michael Bond, messaged me to tell me there were some seed pods at the end of his street. So there I am, whacking the tree with a rake, trying to get these seed pods down, and he pulls up on his scooter and says, ‘I know who you are!’ Yeah, crazy lady hitting trees, that’s me!”
Next on the list is securing a large studio space. “Sometimes the whole house becomes my studio
– the kids are used to tiptoeing through raffia or cardboard boxes!” Her second big goal: a shop of her own. “It’s a big leap, and a lot of pressure, but I’m a big believer in listening to my gut,” Stacy says. And with good reason: it’s never let her down yet. Follow Stacy on Instagram @woven_husk