MEET THE MAKERS
Etsy award nominees from Quebec
This year’s inaugural Etsy Design Awards, or Etsies — a global design competition that recognizes the work of extraordinary creatives from around the world — singled out 23 Canadians, including four Quebecers nominated in the same category (one of five) and selected from among thousands of entries for their creativity, craftsmanship and inventive spirit.
The awards — chosen by producer/writer/actor Dan Levy, style expert Joe Zee, author and artist Garance Doré, interior designer Sophie Robinson, decor expert Holly Becker, fashion designer Anavila Misra and Etsy’s resident trend expert, Dayna Isom Johnson — provide a glance at the hottest market trends and the up-andcoming designers behind them.
Etsy is an online marketplace where people can buy or sell unique handcrafted items, and this is the first year the Etsies were awarded. The grand prize went to London-based designer Sian Zeng for her interactive magnetic wallpaper that combines hand-drawn illustrations of dinosaurs with magnetic lining.
Nominated in the Inventive Decor category based on the quality, creativity, utility and “wow” factor of their creations, Quebecers Jennifer Duffin, Diana Garcia, Cybèle B. Pilon and Marc Lamothe were among the finalists announced this summer.
Lamothe, a woodworker with an atelier in Notre-dame-des-bois in the Eastern Townships, was nominated for a hand-carved sink he made out of cherry wood burl that definitely nails the “wow” factor.
“I’ve always been a manual, handy person,” Lamothe said, “but in 2010, I went on a year-long trip to find myself in Central and South America where I learned how to carve a djembe, in Guatemala, with local people.
“I knew then and there that my element was wood, and offering products that reflect the beauty of nature, at home, for the home.”
Organic and rustic, the unique piece that was hand-sculpted out of a burl in cherry wood and treated with tung oil and epoxy resin is as suited to a quaint, bohemian decor as it is a modern, minimalist one thanks to the multi-faceted nature of the wood.
“I think home decor should reflect the personality of its occupants and the sink is definitely for people who want to add a unique element to their decor,” said Lamothe, whose carpentry business, Toutanbwa, handcrafts furniture, accessories, wooden signs and more. “My wooden sinks are a nice contrast to the cold feeling of ceramics, or the lines of contemporary style.”
Nova Mercury also walks a line between vintage and new, thanks to a rebirth of the knot-tying craft known as macramé. “I love the tactile nature of fibre art — being able to manipulate a simple object with your hands to transform it into something beautiful,” said Duffin, the Montreal-based macramé/weaving artist behind Nova Mercury. “I find the materials endlessly inspiring, and can always explore new ways to use them.”
A woven wall hanging is an easy way to add character and style to any space, as well as texture and warmth to walls. “I also find they’re great conversation starters, and they often invite the viewer to interact with them through touch, which I find really interesting,” she said. “Whenever we have guests over, people always want to touch my artwork; it’s soft and squishy!”
Duffin said each hanging is handmade with love and is woven on a frame loom using high-quality merino wool roving, raw cotton string and gold metallic cord.
“I think my pieces bring happiness and joy to a space,” she said. “I love rainbow palettes and also working in bright monochromatic palettes. I also love making larger-scale work, which can really have an impact in a space.”
Collage Crafting planters, a collection made by product designer Diana Garcia and inspired by the mythical places of Montreal — or, more precisely, the architecture of the brutalist movement found in métro stations, Habitat and Expo 67 — as well as the texture of rough concrete, are first drawn and developed as a prototype, in three dimensions, before being moulded and produced in small quantities to maintain their exclusivity and uniqueness.
I think home decor should reflect the personality of its occupants and the sink is definitely for people who want to add a unique element to their decor.
MARC LAMOTHE
“I would define my style as eclectic and playful, sometimes refined,” said Garcia. “My creations are the product of a fertile imagination, a keen sense of design and my Latin roots.
“Right now, I’m focused on discovering the architecture of my adoptive city, Montreal, and letting this inspire me.”
Statement pieces with a meaning and/or story behind them, the planters that are ideal for succulents add both a touch of softness and architecture to a space.
“Even though the brutalist architecture is well known to be made in cold concrete, I wanted to twist it a bit,” said Garcia, “and create a duality between cold and warm by adding some soft colours and really smooth textures to precisely bring this playful balance to the space.”
Cybèle B. Pilon’s vases and tripod holders, also recommended for plants, especially succulents, go by the name Cybèle Ceramic on Etsy, along with a collection of plates, bowls and cups.
A ceramic artist, Pilon lives and works in Montreal, where she’s inspired by the narrative potential of everyday objects. Her work also explores popular folk art made in Quebec by women in the 19th and 20th century.
“I like to say that I create functional art for daily rituals,” she said. “My work explores pop culture and patterns from my French-canadian cultural heritage. Whether I use patterns as a form of visual language or something else, my work is truly about the narrative potential of everyday objects.”
A handmade touch, in the end, is what unites all of the finalists’ one-of-a-kind work, as well as the human connection.
“Surrounding yourself with art is, I think, very important,” said Pilon.
“Weird stuff, imperfect stuff, like us — stuff made by humans and not machines.
“Ceramics made by people are often fabulously imperfect; they are the antithesis of the digital world and can’t be updated or swiped in any way. They make you pause for a second, connect with your surroundings and take the measure of time.”