Kitty Willow
Drawing
kittywillow.com
My work has a focus on childhood and the aesthetics associated with toys as a way to look at common situations of adulthood through a more innocent lens. I’m interested in exploring uncomfortable subjects and experiences in ways that feel light hearted and easier to digest. In particular, exploring trauma and grief with toys and childlike imagery creates a dialectic that I find charming, if deceptive.
My practice consists of fibre works, in particular needle felted dolls paired with clay accessories. The figures themselves are animals that are commonly seen as plush toys, and there is a large focus on body language and facial expression even on a small scale. There is a handmade quality to my work, and this allows for a home-like look.
As a queer artist who has struggled with and overcome mental health issues, I hope to explore feelings of aimlessness and fear in the modern world through traditionally feminine and innocent mediums. By using fibre arts and dolls to present situations of the effects of trauma and illness I want to build intimate environments that allow for a lighthearted look at less than desirable situations.
ratboy
Materials: Needlefelt, foam, wire, fabric, cardboard
"ratboy" is a felted figure, a representation of the punks I used to know and the punks I used to be. Art in himself, he has also starred in a stop motion short entitled "RATBOY: stoned & alone"
bansidhe project
This is just a part of an ongoing piece, which I am currently calling “bansidhe project”. I decided to scream everyday, record it, and upload them to TikTok.
Screaming is something almost everyone is capable of, but when do we get a chance to do it? I wanted to create a space for myself to have this catharsis, to be loud and scary. I don’t plan to stop until I feel like I no longer need to scream.
I’m interested in having the shots be recognizable but unusual, the colour and light sucked out of whatever space I’m in, sometimes my own form being unrecognizable.
Allowing myself a moment to breathe deeply and let out the anxiety that builds like hard water in my body has been a personal revolution.
https://www.tiktok.com/@bansidhe.jpeg/
breakdown
Full Title: "oh no, wait a second, oh god i'm having a breakdown, what do i do, oh no"
Materials: Cardboard, felt, paint, plastic
You know things are getting a bit rough when you find yourself crying on the kitchen floor.
Where the kitchen acts as the heart of the house, the kitchen floor is like the pit of your stomach, the place you only notice when it fills with dread or joy. Reserved for drunk friends at the end of a long night or as a place of pure isolation. It’s a good place to cry, all in all, and think we all deserve a good cry at the very least.
gutterpunk, retired
Materials: Needlefelt, wood, cigarette packs, beer cans, suede, light.
Vincent keeps saying he's a free spirited traveller but he's been here for months now.
He's a crustie, an oogle, you know, good for a good time.
He's mostly just kind of a dick.
night shift
Materials: Cardboard, felt, paint, plastic, light
It’s half past 2 and the bar is closed.
Being a maintenance man has some on the job risks, but finding a foot wasn't covered in employee orientation.
