DI: What has been your main focus in designing this work? Especially what did you want to achieve?
: My goal in designing this cuff was to push the boundaries of my current body of work.
DI: What are your future plans for this award winning design?
: I plan on wearing the Mad Hatter as often as possible! But more seriously, I aim to take the lessons learned in creating the Mad Hatter to create even more fantastical wearable art following this direction. I am currently working on the Cheshire Cat neck-cuff.
DI: How long did it take you to design this particular concept?
: I had been thinking about what I wanted to achieve for several months, narrowing down the down the possibilities. Once I decided on the direction and started final sketching, the design concept developed more quickly than I expected, a couple days or so. The execution itself turned out to be much more difficult, presenting several challenges, and had several stages that all told, took about seven or eight weeks.
DI: Why did you design this particular concept? Was this design commissioned or did you decide to pursuit an inspiration?
: I did not create this cuff to sell as part of my inventory. I wanted to explore the possibilities of my technique without limitations of time or material constraint.
DI: Is your design being produced or used by another company, or do you plan to sell or lease the production rights or do you intent to produce your work yourself?
: I take pride in producing my work, in every aspect, using my own skills. Every piece I make is an individual vision that becomes a story for it's wearer. I have no current plans to have my work or designs to be produced or licensed by another company.
DI: Where there any other designs and/or designers that helped the influence the design of your work?
: I find awe and inspiration in the work of all artists in every medium. The inspiration for me comes not from their ideas or designs, but rather the passion they express in their art.
DI: Which design tools did you use when you were working on this project?
: I love traditional art techniques and technology, and use aspects of both to create my pieces. One of my favorite tools is the spontaneity of pencil and paper, but then I turn on the computer and I'm mesmerized with the precision I can achieve when refining the pencil sketches with Adobe Illustrator!
DI: What is the role of technology in this particular design?
: Technology is a necessary component of my process. By digitizing my designs, I am able to print to a etching laser, making detailed molds to shape the metal.