A Conversation with Amanda of Gryphon Design

Keenly interested in the steampunk aesthetic, Amanda of Gryphon design incorporates this among other mixed media mediums in her jewellery designs to create fresh and fabulous work.  A recent graduate with a Visual Arts and Designs degree, we look forward to seeing where Amanda's inspiration will next strike...

Who is Gryphon Design?

Gryphon Design is the artwork of Amanda Griffin. I’ve just completed my degree in Visual Arts and so now have the time and energy to put into my artwork. While studying my degree I got the opportunity to try many different areas and learnt that my favourites are small object making (commercially as jewellery) and computer animation. Still waiting to discover my commercial niche with that one but will work alongside my partner on web design in the meantime. The jewellery making provides an opportunity to incorporate my digital collages though, which allows me playtime in photoshop.

What’s your “handmade groove ?”

I love to create using found objects, giving them new life in a new form. This applies to my digital collages as well as my jewellery. Particularly interesting for me is vintage industrial objects, hence my current fascination with the Steampunk movement.

What’s on your bedside table right now? (hey, no tidying up or censoring)

Doctor Grordbort's Contrapulatronic Dingus Directory – a wonderful book full of Greg Broadmore’s designs for Steampunk rayguns. I’m going to convert some water blasters into rayguns as props for my stall.

Who are your creative role models? What music, books, images, poetry spark your creative fire?

My inspiration comes from a range of areas, magazines, books, artwork , the internet but also from textures of grungy metal or rusting machinery. Getting away from the daily grind also does wonders for my creativity.

What could you talk late into the night about with like minded people?

Anything creative and inspiring.

If you could go to three free workshops/creative events this year which ones would they be? What are they about?

I’d love to do a Keith Lo Bue workshop. His approach to found objects and industrial aesthetics is so inspiring.

Oamaru’s Steampunk exhibition on later this month.

A workshop on how to work your business online would always be good of course.

How do you balance your creative life with your family, life commitments?

Had a huge change around recently to bring this into order. We sold our house and bought a motorhome. Now we live life on the road and travel to all the different craft markets around NZ. No lawns to mow, no mortgage or rates to pay – not even a power bill.

What is your favourite creative screw-up?

I guess when I screw up with something I put it to the side and hope a great idea will grow from it...occasionally it does get used but not sure about the great idea bit!

Kitchen table or studio?

Kitchen table – no longer have a studio! But it seems to work just fine. I had a workshop and an indoor office to work in. Both were a mess and in total disarray. Now I am limited to what I can do in the space I have and it’s a godsend!

Do you have a wish list? Can you tell us what’s on it?

Clever storage ideas that make it easy to find and pull out the materials I need yet take up as little space as possible.

Sunshine for the market days :)



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