FEATURE - Handmade with love

by Travis Earsman

Artist Angel Goulter knows the value of handmade things; the magic of creating something unique through imagination, and the delight it brings to another person.

The autumn rain clouds had finally parted and a divine golden light filled the hinterland as I sat down with local artist Angel Goulter and her dog Flower at The Joy Cafe. 

I’ve known Angel for many years, and my enduring impression of her is that she is indeed the quintessential artist. She lives and breathes creativity; not just in her work but in her words and manner as well. No one I know inhabits the artist's mantle quite as comfortably as she does, and she lives to provide a sense of magic and imagination for others. 

“Art is probably the only thing that's been consistent throughout my entire life. It's something that I've always felt that I needed to do. It's an extension of myself, it's a way of sharing my inner world.”

Angel’s artistic life can be traced back to her grandmother, Mimma, who would make little knitted toys, finger puppets and dolls for her grandkids. Every child would get their very own personalised toys in different colours, each one unique, magical and filled with love and imagination. 

Thus her early life was enriched with the brightness and joy of handmade creativity, and it is this simple oh-so-human tradition that she seeks to retain not only in her life, but in the lives of those around her. It could be argued that this is the very purpose of art. 

As a child, a family friend gifted Angel some modelling clay. This gave her something tactile to work with, which inspired her to make her very own set of miniature horses. Each one was a different colour and each had their own name and personality. These were the first toys that Angel made, and it is upon these humble beginnings that her artistic life was built. 

“I certainly didn't think, as a child, ‘I'm going to be a toy-maker.’ I wanted to be an artist, but I didn't know exactly what that meant or how that would look. I was always very creative and I would sketch a lot.”

When Angel became a mother she naturally began making toys for her children out of odds and ends, but it wasn't until her daughter, Willow, asked her for a special ‘wolf toy that was really cute’, that her toy-making really started to take shape. 

She began by simply wrapping some fur around a tennis ball, adding eyes and a nose to make a face. Before long this had developed into adding antlers, feet and wings. Over the years the creatures she conjured up became more and more magical, detailed and imbued with personality. 

“When I create, I do feel like it's something that I'm birthing, something coming through me rather than me creating it. I’m always excited to see the character that's on the other side of that. I love seeing kids (and the inner child of adults as well) light up, and they remember something magical exists in this world. I love connecting, being a bridge in that way.”

Angel isn't just a toymaker, however. She also channels her creativity into the making of ceremonial drums and of course there are her canvas paintings. She views her canvas work as ‘therapy’ and it is perhaps best described as textural painting; she uses all manner of materials to explore and express her feelings and emotions. 

“I sit in front of a blank canvas and I just tune in to my inner child and get in a space where I just ask her, ‘what colour do you want to use, what texture are you feeling?’ I will use my hands, and just get my mind completely out of the way, and have no attachment to the outcome. 

“I just treat it as a session of expression. Once again, I'm always quite surprised with what comes out at the end. I'm not trying to control the process.”

As well as having her work on display and selling pieces that way, Angel also loves to create customised commission pieces. She loves this work because people tell her their story and what they're after, and then she gets to bring that magic from their imaginations into their hands. It brings her great joy to know that her creations are going to people who will love and appreciate them,

“My work is really for people that understand and appreciate the value of handmade things. If you can look at something and realise that there's nothing else that exists anywhere exactly like this or ever will again, if you can feel the love and time and joy that went into creating it, you get a sense of a unique ‘personality,’ that’s where its true value lies. 

“Of course you can buy something made in a factory at a fraction of the cost, but it lacks the soul that so many people say they feel comes through in my creations. I don’t think handmade toys are something you really see much of anymore. 

“The people who understand the value and feel the love in what I do, are exactly the people I want my precious toys going to. Because they are going to love them as much as I do.”

Some of Angel’s toys will be on display at The Joy Collective in Maleny until September and are available for purchase either there or directly from her Instagram @angelgoulter.