Umi is a lifelong learner of all things ‘makery’, especially if they involve watercolours, paper, inks or yarns. Working out of her small shed in rural north Auckland, she makes and packages ‘slow’ stationery and art. Umi’s background in science and education fuels her desire for slowing down and really noticing the world around her – be that the path of a busy beetle or the settling of granules in a watercolour stroke.
What do you make?
Of all the things I make, it is primarily hand bound sketchbooks and small watercolour paintings that come to my Felt shop. I occasionally include crocheted items.
How did you get into your craft?
Like many makers I had a childhood filled with putting things together from scraps, taking things apart to see how they worked and dabbling in many, many crafty projects. Over the years, before settling in Aotearoa, I have been fortunate to do a fair bit of travelling and on reflection I see I was always drawn to the makers and the handmade in every country I visited. My current focus on watercolours and sketchbooks developed over the last three years or so.
Do you have formal training or qualifications in your craft?
No. I followed a more academic route after school. At university I read Biology BSc(Hons), followed by a MSc and after teaching for a number of years, a PhD in Education Research. Looking back, I realise that my path into science was deeply influenced by the stories infused into the ragged pages of old textbooks, the hand strokes of scientific illustrations and the coloured flame of an idle Bunsen burner. After having my children, I bought and borrowed books on bookmaking, linocutting and watercolour painting and plunged into the world of online learning, joining groups globally and in New Zealand to widen my experiences. Aotearoa has a fabulous legacy of craft work and I continue to try to take up opportunities as I can, such as flax weaving workshops and pottery classes.
Your favourite materials, tools and processes?
I have a soft spot for the textures that come with the old and the already used. Tools or materials that have already been through the hands of others. Amongst my favourites are a collection of ceramic laboratory crucibles and an antique Reeves and Sons Science and Art Department colour box that I use for my watercolours. For my bookbinding projects I particularly cherish my sail/net needles that I use with flax and thick pages. I love using handmade papers from The Papermill in Whangarei as they carry the energy of each person that made them. I also dye my own papers, repurposing old lectures notes and often using techniques I learned with Liz Constable of Book Art Studios, Auckland. It is hard to pick out a favourite process. I enjoy every stage, all those little steps that contribute to the whole finished piece. Each time I carry them out they are a little different, papers may not tear the same way as before, watercolours might not behave as intended. As soon as I can begin to feel a story unfolding in my hands, I am happy.
Tell us about some of the techniques involved in producing one of your pieces
One technique I use for sewing small sketchbooks by hand is long stitch, an older German book style that gives lovely long stitches on the external spine of the paper cover. I am currently developing my skills with the stitching frame; the one I have was made by a member of ABC (Association of Book Crafts NZ). The frame helps keep the tapes or cords straight when sewing the book block and allows tighter and neater sewing. After sewing the book block, I use wooden book boards with angled brass edges, locked into a wooden book press/vice that allows me to hammer the spine into shape before covering with a reclaimed hard cover. I am often nose deep in op-shop bookshelves looking for just the right donor book.
What inspires you?
The same things that gave me a kick as a child. The outdoors, the smell of old books, the excitement of learning something new, getting my hands dirty, being able to say “I made this”. Receiving mindfully wrapped snail mail is important to me – I am a child of the ‘brown paper packages tied up with string’ era. I want my parcels to bring a smile to your face – to be more effective than a hug emoji.
Is there a philosophy behind your work?
I think the main principle that guides me is not to be wasteful or produce lots of waste. In my making, I am thoughtful over the materials I choose to use, aiming for increasing sustainability in painting, bookmaking or even in the packing up of orders. “The use of the hands is vital for the human being” (Renate Hiller, ‘On handwork’), it connects the maker, me, with the real world, and necessitates skills and thinking that infuse the work with meaning. There is a specialness in unique pieces, formed by one person’s hands and passed to another’s – it is a channel of empathy in an ocean of mass-produced indifference.
What has been a highlight of your maker journey so far?
I get a high each time I learn a new bookbinding stitch and it works. I get a high when watercolours come together in beautiful and unexpected ways. I get a high when someone buys a piece from me, and it fills them with joy. I find great peace in ending the day with crochet, adding a few rounds to a hat, running off a few more squares for a blanket. Other makers will understand that quietly ecstatic feeling of being able to ‘do’.
Describe your workspace
I am grateful to have a wee shed out in the garden that is packed full of my materials, so that the house is freed up to be full of my children’s Lego. Unfortunately, the shed is nothing like the TARDIS and so there are masses of untidy shelves, heaving with books, paper, yarn, packing materials, inks and paints. I try to keep to main areas set out on two large wooden tables, one for wet work (painting, ink, printing), the other for dry work, cutting, carving and sewing.
The small shed with its open doors means that the garden and its inhabitants are never too far away. My geese are nosey girls, and it can happen that, after finishing an intense session of sewing, I turn around to see one of the girls sat on the mat behind me!
Five words that describe your mind
Inquisitive, contemplative, enthusiastic, wandering, mystifying.
Your favourite feedback from a customer
“Opening this package made my day! not only did I receive the absolutely fantastic sketch book but it was surrounded by petals, feathers and little Christmas gifts. How happy am I right now – best purchase ever. Thank you Umi!”
What are you currently listening to?
I tend to listen to audiobooks or BBC radio dramas when sewing, cutting, carving or crocheting as I can really listen to the words without it affecting my progress. I am just finishing up A History of the Vikings Children of Ash and Elm by Neil Price – a reminder that diversity in populations is nothing new. Spotify is currently set to Bitter Ruin, but, when painting I tend to go for atmospheric instrumental playlists or simply the sounds from the garden, the idea being that I am not distracted (although, the chickens don’t always co-operate).
What’s your favourite childhood book and why?
The first books I treasured were a series of ‘spotter’s guides’. Palm sized books, perfect for me to carry around, ticking off butterflies I had seen, and bird calls I had heard. I loved pencilling in my little scribblings – it has always been about the little book!
What are you reading now?
I have recently begun The Arabian Nights Tales of 1001 Nights Volume 1, translated by Malcolm C. Lyons. It can be a little exhausting keeping up with the literary device of framing one story in another, and another, and another…
A favourite quote
“To have made even one person’s life a little better, that is to succeed.” – Henry David Thoreau.
Why do you think it’s important to buy handmade and/or locally made goods?
Hand made goods have been made with intention and take time, forming a bridge between people, even if they never meet in person. Buying locally can limit environmental impacts, improve local economies, and demonstrates a valuing of local community.
What does it mean to you when someone buys your creations?
It means a great deal. Another human being has shown a connection to my making and placed faith in me to deliver this to them. I feel responsible and grateful all rolled into one.
What was the last handmade item you bought and what attracted you to it?
I bought a pair of wine cups from Hilary of Wellhandled Ceramics. I fell in love with the cracked clay below the turquoise glaze. It reminded me of parched earth under a cloudless sky, a reminder of why we continue to plant trees and native bush on our property.
What’s your favourite item in your shop right now?
Oooh, tricky! I love the pair of sketch books Flora & Fauna. In fact, I have had to make more of them for friends and family. The Fabriano Unica paper is perfect sketchbook material, and they just take me back to those ‘spotter guides’ days along country lanes and through hay meadows.
What’s in store for 2023?
I’m not entirely sure! I began the year with entering a local art exhibition, which was something well out of my comfort zone, but a huge learning experience. I will continue to develop my drawing and water-colouring style and I have some ideas for combining that with the handmade sketch books for a series release. Most of all I will be experimenting and having fun with my making.
Special offer for Felt readers!
Umi has generously offered Felt readers 10% off any of the beautiful products in her Felt shop, when you enter the voucher code MEETTHEMAKER2023 in the voucher code field at checkout. This offer is valid throughout the month of April 2023. Thank you so much Umi!
