Paula Martyr
Illustrator
About
Hi, I've long been a children's books illustrator, having worked on a number of early years reading schemes, collaborated with many other writers and had titles published under my own name. However, since moving to Bradford on Avon, in Wiltshire and joining an artist collective, I have also been producing my own individual standalone artwork.
Initially, I had the idea of decorating the picture frames for my artwork by decoupaging them with decorative paper, or colourful old comics, such as the Beano, but by trial and error, I found out that teacake wrappers worked perfectly. They were also ideal for creating the image within the frame, and so the teacake cat was born. (with inspiration from the family cat!)
I use recycled frames that I find in charity shops, and a healthy supply of teacakes from the local supermarkets. The process of creating the image from the teacake wrappers also involves lots of cutting and sticking, invariably leading to lots of little bits of tin foil being walked around the house.
The process.....
First I dismantle the picture frame, just leaving the outside frame to work on, ready to be covered in teacake wrappers.
Next I decide on a design for the frame before starting the decoupage process of sticking different patterns of teacake wrappers to the frame, before covering everything with several coats of varnish.
When the frame is done, I start on the cat.After drawing a rough sketch of the cat onto a piece of card, I build up the patterns on the cat with pieces of teacake wrappers and tin foil.
By now, I might stop for a cup of tea (and teacake), before cutting carefully around the cat and sticking the image onto some black card.
Next, I finish off the cat by texturing the body and adding the whiskers, eyes and the all important facial expression.
Finally, I re-assemble the frame with the finished cat picture - all done!
Since then, I've had pieces in the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, the Bath Society of Artists Open Exhibition, and the Corsham Gallery, and I have a permanent display of artwork and greetings cards at the Handmade in Bradford on Avon Gallery in the town.
Gallery
Below is a gallery of some of the work I've done in the past. The pictures come in all shapes and sizes from miniatures (roughly 10x15 cm) up to larger pieces (60x80cm), mainly dependent on the frames I can source. I can do likenesses of the images below, but they won't be exact copies as every piece is individually crafted, and the frames may not be exactly the same dimensions or style.
If you're interested in purchasing anything or commissioning a piece, please contact me using the form and I can supply details of my current stock. Prices usually range from about £30 for the smaller pieces up to £500 or more for the largest (plus P&P). Keep an eye on my Instagram page for my latest artwork.
