Introducing Tracey from Malady Designs. Where every item is handmade!! From her home in Brighton, Victoria, Tracey creates straw marquetry items which are stunning.
Find out why Tracey started creating and why she is so passionate about the value of handmade.
Tell us about your creations and your handmade process.
Straw marquetry has been in Europe for centuries, however it only made its way to Australia in 2015. It involves simply cutting colored strands of straw and applying them to a substrate. However, it is the color choice and application of the straw which gives straw marquetry its reputation for creating beautiful effects.
The straw has a layer of silica which gives it a 'sheen' and helps to create optical illusions. It is for this reason that straw was once called the 'poor man's gold', due to it being accessible to the poor, nuns and convicts. Now, straw marquetry adorns the walls and furniture of the high end shops on the Champs-Élysées in Paris and luxury apartments around the world as well as many small studios such as Malady Designs.
Tell us a bit about your journey to becoming a handmade artist.
Being from a woodworking family, I spent many years doing woodwork, primarily woodturning. Since discovering straw marquetry, I have dedicated myself to learning and sharing everything about this craft. I first saw straw marquetry on an ABC show (ArtScape) in 2023 and immediately after watching it, I went on a quest to find out more about it.
There was no one and nowhere in Australia where I could learn about it, let alone buy any materials, so I gave myself the challenge to research and learn all I could. Luck was with me for a while as I had the opportunity to meet a French straw marquetry expert who worked for Lison de Caunes in Paris and taught me everything they knew about straw marquetry. That, and then many many months of trialing and perfecting the craft, I am now holding regular workshops in my studio as well as a couple of woodworking schools and country art studios.
What was once a dusty workshop has evolved into a light, bright and colorful studio, filled with straw.
What is your inspiration or where do you find inspiration?
When I first started using straw marquetry, I used it to adorn the lids of the boxes that I made but I soon realised that it can be used for so much more than small projects. I now see a blank wall and can imagine a beautiful sun ray made of straw on it. Or a table, or even just a decorative cube. Geometric designs are a wonderful source of ideas as are quilting projects. Anything that allows for directional change of a line works well to show off the luminous qualities.
Where did you learn your craft?
I credit the current resurgence (since the 1980's) of straw marquetry to a French woman, Lison de Caunes. An artist who trained with Lison happened to be living in Melbourne for a while and I was lucky enough to meet her and attend private lessons with her. I am also looking forward to heading to Paris later in the year to attend a workshop in the Ateliers Lison de Caunes.
Why is handmade artistry so important to you?
When you hold something made by a craftsperson, you are holding something that they have crafted with their hands and taken pride in. They have thought about it, purchased the necessary goods, imagined, sketched, dropped stitches, made mistakes and started again. This process is repeated until they are finally ready to release their creation to the outside world.
Handmade artistry is happening every day in every little part of the world, giving purpose, confidence and maybe even a bit of cash to artists from every background. Only a small percentage will make it to a gallery but every little piece will hold a bit of the artist with them, wherever that piece finds itself. Contrast this to a mass produced item or anything made by a machine …. Well, you just can't!
Tracey is a much loved member of the MadeIt Collective, posting regularly in our Facebook Group ~ The Handmade Marketplace of Australia ~ and sharing their new creations as they are released. If you haven't connected with Malady Designs, make sure you join our FB Group and say hi !
