Alexis Colbert of When Bunnies Fly
June 09, 2009 | By
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Alexis Colbert is part of the Hollywood Craft Mafia, and is featured during Mafia Month!
In Alexis Colbert’s shop, When Bunnies Fly, there’s a groom shadow box. The happy faced bunny showcases many of the mediums Alexis loves to dabble in. It’s a beautiful piece of art that says a lot about its maker. She is a sculptor, painter and loves to work with glass and beads.
Her art pieces are both whimsical and reminiscent of Edward Gorey. They make you smile and then you wonder whether or not you should. I mean, come on, even some of the skulls are smiling. In the end, you love the work because it’s unique and you’ll love the artist because she’s refreshing and hip.
Tell me about your craft/mediums.
When it comes to love I'm a one man kind of girl, but when it comes to crafts I play the field. I love the feeling of learning and mastering a new medium. However, I do tend to always return to Sculpy and I seem to use it or incorporate it in almost any craft adventure. Right now, I'm working on a series of shadowboxes that feature animal characters inspired by Mexican folk art. I hand sculpt the characters with Sculpy and paint them with acrylic. The characters play out vaudevillian scenarios in elaborate hand stitched costumes in a stage like environment. The boxes are made from the drawers of discarded furniture and dramatically lit with small electric lights. I also make jewelry using sculpted animal characters and hand drawn images on Shrinky Dinks. I use these items with painted lace, stone, glass and semi-precious beads.
Why do you love your particular mediums?
I think that what I love about Sculpy and Shrinky Dinks, is the ability it gives me to turn my hand drawn, and
sculpted art into something permanent that I can do in my home with little skill. As a homemaker, freelance writer and with my volunteer work, I don't have the time to devote to my crafts that I wish I did. I love crafts that let me do things in my home without much extra equipment. Also, there is nothing more fascinating then watching a Shrinky Dink shrink, thicken, curl up and flatten out in the oven. It never gets boring.
Who are your influences?
Everything influences me! I like so many things that wind up in my work somehow. My son's latest obsessions, Frieda Kahlo, a sunny day, Mexican folk art, a delicious cookie, stories (especially the
stories found in children's books and the Bible), the tattoos of Tina Forever, animals, Greek myths; the list could go on forever. The encouragement of people is huge, for that I thank my Hollywood Craft Mafia crew, my friends and my family.
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Tell me about your most enjoyable experience with a customer.
The first time I brought my jewelry to Undergrounds Coffee Haus to sell, a person named Lucy watched me put my display up. She immediately bought like 3 or 4 pieces and continued to buy my stuff on a regular basis. She once told me that she loved my stuff because it made her feel "girly." I just treasure that compliment! I think of it every time I make something. When ever I bring new stuff to the store everyone there says, "Oh new stuff! We better call Lucy!"
What are some things people don’t know about you?
I don't adopt animals, they adopt me. A lot of them adopt me. My best crafting partner is my seven year old son, he loves to play art director and just point at things and tell me what to do with them. Our collaborations in this way have produced some of the weirdest, other worldly, sloppiest and on occasion the most well constructed things I have ever made.
Where can we find your work? (both online and off)
On-line you can find my work at http://alexiscolbert.etsy.com. Off-line you can find it at Undergrounds Coffee Haus (http://www.myspace.com/undergroundscoffeehaus), in October at the Stitch Rock Craft Show (http://www.rockthestitch.com), and in December at the Atomic Bazaar (http://www.atomicholidaybazaar.com/).
Any advice to new or young sellers just getting their feet wet?
Just jump in, the water is fine! Don't let insecurity or lack of knowledge make you afraid of going for your dreams. There are also a lot of organizations out there to help you with advice and information. Surround yourself with people who believe in you and what you are doing.
What do you do outside of your business?
I am a mother, write, swim and volunteer with kids in my community. I recently started a charitable organization, "Los Colores", which collects and distributes craft and school supplies to underprivileged children in
Pompano and the surrounding neighborhoods. You can learn more about Los Colores at www.facebook.com/loscolores.
What does the "handmade movement" mean to you?
In my young and wilder days, I used to wear a t-shirt that said, "Don't Suck Corporate C*&$k!" That sums up what the handmade movement means to me. We live in a mass produced society and the art, beauty and soul has been removed from everything. The handmade movement is a way of putting the uniqueness and soul back into the world around us. It is also a way of holding on to our independence, when we can make things on our own we don't need corporate America. The less we need it, the smaller it will become.
Tell us a bit about the space you create in? How has it evolved since you
started your craft?
I have limited space to craft in, hence my love of crafts I can do with little equipment and supplies. I set up our guest room to double as my work room. No guest can hang up their stuff in the closet because it is full to the hilt with carefully organized bins of material, paper, beads, jewelry making tools, paint and a multitude of tidbits. I have a desk I found on the side of the road and a few folding tables which I arrange and rearrange depending on what I\'m working on. There is also a ton of natural light streaming in through the windows and a wood floor I have destroyed.
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What is your favorite type of handmade item to buy for yourself?
Clothes. I am a clothes horse. I never buy jewelry since that is what I make I always think, "I can make that."
Who is the person most supportive of your craft business? How do they
support you?
My husband Joshua. He gives up so much to let me chase my dreams. He funds whatever wild project I have most recently come up with, agrees to go without a hot meal for nights on end, takes over with our son whenever I ask and puts up with a multitude of inconveniences for the sake of my craft. And he never fails to tell me how gifted he thinks I am. Without his commitment I wouldn\'t be able to do what I do.
Photos are courtesy of Alexis Colbert
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