Most people use social media for selfies and cat pictures. Not so Phil Ferguson. Inspired by Melbourne’s foodie culture, he rediscovered a dormant love of granny’s favourite crafting technique, and started crocheting colourful food headpieces that are as witty as they are wacky. His Instagram account, featuring the artist deadpanning as he’s transformed into a hamburger or piece of sushi, makes for joyous viewing. Bibelot sits down for a yarn with ChiliPhilly. 1. How and when did you discover the joys of crochet? A few years ago I taught myself from Youtube. I studied Fine Art so I already had crochet as a skill set, but I didn’t do it as much as I have been within the last year or so. 2. Tell us about your creative routine – do you work in a studio or at the kitchen table, what’s your caffeinated beverage of choice, do you listen to music or work in silence? I drink a lot of coffee and just sit in my room with something playing! I sometimes work in silence because it helps me work within a time period, sometimes listening to something distracts me and I take longer than I should! […]
We get a glimpse into the magnificent and many-splendoured studio of artist Lally Macbeth. Come with us for a gander and learn how an up-bringing in the wild and windy landscapes of Ireland, and an appetite for all things bordering on the bizarre has shaped her creative work. Enter Lady Macbeth… 1. We love your use of bright and bold colours in your work. Which artists/designers inspire you most? I’ve always been a bit of a visual magpie; I’m constantly on the lookout for new artists and designers both contemporary and historical. At the moment I’m feeling really inspired by the work of the late 19th century photographer and painter Alfonse Van Besten he created beautiful dreamlike photographs- very painterly in their style. There are also people who I constantly refer back to: Collier Campbell, Matisse, Niki De Saint Phalle, Kim MacConnel, Sonia Delaunay – mainly artists / designers who use(d) lots of colour and pattern! 2. Tell us something about yourself that might surprise people. I grew up in Southern Ireland. It’s such a beautiful landscape; windswept and wild. I constantly see its influence in my work – my interest in folklore particularly. Cornwall, where I live now, is similar in many […]
Our first peek inside an artist’s studio takes us to Chichester, where illustrator Thomas Burden has crammed his converted spare room with ‘vintage tat’ picked up at car boot sales. Join us for a nose round and hear how an obsession with the toys he was denied as a child has shaped his creative work. Step this way… I work from home, in Chichester, West Sussex, so my studio is a converted spare bedroom. Our whole house is pretty full of various things that my wife and I have collected over the years from travelling, car boot sales and charity shops, but my studio is my own space where I can cram it as full as I can without my wife feeling overwhelmed by clutter. (My wife has the other spare room as a walk in wardrobe, so that’s equally cluttered, just in a different way). As far as my collection of vintage tat goes, my eyes are always drawn to similar things that I grew up around. I was lucky enough to have a pretty idyllic childhood. I grew up sailing and skiing and travelling, so our house (and my grand parents house, which was like a […]
Bibelot is about more than craft projects; it represents an imaginative and sustainable way of life. Readers will feel stimulated, uplifted and motivated.
Bibelot will begin its life as a blog, an online hub bringing artistic, original and innovative people together. It’s a space for sharing ideas, learning and sparking inspiration!
