A Chat with Chrissy Foreman and her Nostalgic Feeling…
Plus a little Pre-Christmas Giveaway!
A self-confessed tree-hugger, Chrissy Foreman C and her label ‘My Nostalgic Feeling’ are all about vintage inspired fabric jewellery and colourful nature based artworks. A mix of nostalgia, beauty and sustainability form the basis of Chrissy’s creative practice…
Hi Chrissy. Thanks for the chat…Tell us a bit about your work.
I love to make fabric-infused artworks and jewellery with an emphasis on environmental sustainability, quality and nostalgia…
What / who inspired you to take this direction?
Just about everything I see, hear, smell, taste and touch! I’m inspired greatly by nature. I’m also strongly influenced by my memories and feelings which I think brings a sense of flow and organic movement to my works.
Most of all, I’m inspired by beautiful patterns, vintage fabrics, dynamic colour combos and almost anything granny, eco and nostalgic.
How would you best describe the look or aesthetic of what you do…
A little bit contemporary, a little bit vintage, a little bit whimsical, a little bit tree-hugging.
All the products on Bluecaravan are ‘ethical’. Can you tell us about the ethics of your product?
Oh my ~ this questions excites me! I LOVE the opportunity to make my work as eco-friendly as possible across the board. It’s taken years to find the right products, but it’s been worth the wait! I make sure all my items are packaged and displayed using quality recycled/re-usable materials wherever possible, and all the fabrics I use in my jewellery and artworks are vintage and/or ethically sourced.
My new Art Prints range are printed on fine art paper made from sugar cane by-products – meaning that they’re both archival and made using renewable energy resources. It feels so great. I’m also waiting to receive my very first designer fabrics printed onto organic fabrics using vegetable inks, so stay tuned for that!
What did you do before starting your business?
In 2000 I left my job as a preschool teacher and decided to travel and study visual art. Since then, I’ve spent the last six years working as a community artist, running workshops, painting murals, having exhibitions and hoping to empower people about the power of creativity, expression and connecting with others. I moved into jewellery last year after my love affair with fabric, art and hugging trees all finally merged into one.
What are you doing when you’re not working?
My work is my love, so it’s rare that I’m not working or thinking about working in some capacity! In the glimpses between, you’ll usually find me eating, reading, in the garden, walking, doing yoga or rummaging through op-shops for the perfect piece of fabric.
What is in music player right now? No cheating.
I’m a radio girl. I flip between Triple J (cool indie music) and 4BH (old grandma music and power ballads). The sad thing is, as a result, I can pretty much rattle off all the upcoming festivals in the same sentence as quality retirement and funeral homes. :S
Reading?
The Natural Way To Better Babies’. I’m reading up on natural ways to make a lovely place for my future bun!
What was the last ethical product you purchased and what do you love about it?
I just bought a gorgeous twisty-woven recycled fabric brooch from Mary Elizabeth’s little cube at Bleeding Heart Art Gallery and Cafe in Brisbane. I’d been eying it off for weeks. I always love supporting another artist’s beautiful work.
I’m also a regular at Reverse Garbage in West End, Brisbane. I’m always excited about the quirky things I’ll find there!
Who is your favourite other Bluecaravan seller? Why.
I’m pretty smitten with Little Thing’s gorgeous hand-embroidered clothes for kiddly-winks (and their mums). I love them because their garments are colourful, floaty and so beautiful, whilst being ethically produced at the same time. Win-win in my books!
What are your aspirations for the future?
Professionally, I’m ready to focus more on creating new designs, artworks and prints, and turning them into a vibrant organic fabric range. An assistant would be awesome!
Personally, I’d love to move to a beautiful place amongst nature with a veggie patch and a huge studio and chickens and children running around my feet….
*GIVEAWAY* *GIVEAWAY* *GIVEAWAY*
Chrissy has given us this gorgeous vintage fabric necklace to giveaway to one of our lucky readers! All you need to do is go to our FACEBOOK page and leave a comment for your chance to win. GOOD LUCK!
In 2006 I launched my own collection ‘Eleanor Jewellery’ with great success, selling to some of the most prestigious boutiques throughout the world. After relocating to Australia, SOLLIS jewellery was launched in January 2011.
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