Unbound creativity with Toni Hartill

You don't have to have a whole concept or solid idea as a starting point… Just playing with materials and seeing what evolves next – before you know it, you've got six projects on the go and a hell of a mess, but you're having a ball.

- Toni Hartill
🔊

Listen or watch on your favourite platform:

Unbound creativity with Toni Hartill
New Zealand printmaker and mixed media artist Toni Hartill invites us into her playful world of artist books. As we celebrate the launch of her new course Unbound, Toni shares how folding, layering, and storytelling can liberate your art from the frame. This thoughtful conversation is a joyful nudge toward process, experimentation, and creating with what you already have.

Show Notes

Takeaways from this episode:

  • Embrace play over perfection.

    Toni shares how letting go of perfectionism transformed her creative practice, leading to more spontaneity, joy, and unexpected results.

  • Artist books as a legitimate art form.

    Through folding, layering, and storytelling, artist's books become personal, tactile experiences that invite audience participation and deeper engagement.

  • Start with what you already have.

    Scraps, off-cuts and test prints are a rich source of inspiration. Toni demonstrates how the ‘fodder’ can be reimagined into meaningful, sculptural works.

  • Simple structures, surprising results.

    From concertinas to cascades, Toni shows how even the most basic book forms can evolve into intricate, expressive pieces.

  • Inspiration is everywhere.

    Whether it’s a kitchen utensil or an old map, Toni’s approach encourages artists to look at everyday objects with new eyes and follow the spark of curiosity.

Join the conversation

What inspired you this episode? Share your biggest insight or favourite moment by tagging @TakeTwoArtCourses on social media or using #FibreArtsPodcast

Explore the artwork from this episode below

During the live interview, we shared some images of Toni’s artwork. Since you’re listening to the podcast version, we’ve made these images available for you below. 

1 Toni Hartill - Friday Feature Artist
2 Toni Hartill - Friday Feature Artist
3 Toni Hartill - Friday Feature Artist
4 Toni Hartill - Friday Feature Artist
5 Toni Hartill - Friday Feature Artist
6 Toni Hartill - Friday Feature Artist
7 Toni Hartill - Friday Feature Artist
8 Toni Hartill - Friday Feature Artist
9 Toni Hartill - Friday Feature Artist
10 Toni Hartill - Friday Feature Artist
11 Toni Hartill - Friday Feature Artist
12 Toni Hartill - Friday Feature Artist
13 Toni Hartill - Friday Feature Artist

1 min read

Join our community

A newsletter for visual artists, trusted by more than 80,000 creatives around the world.

❤️

Related Stories

The humanity in handwriting with Rosalind Wyatt

The humanity in handwriting with Rosalind Wyatt

Friday Feature Artist interview - textile artist & calligrapher Rosalind Wyatt shares how handwriting, language, & material converge to tell human...

Read More
Curiosity and scars with Nathan Terborg

Curiosity and scars with Nathan Terborg

Abstract artist Nathan Terborg transforms discarded industrial waste into richly layered sculptural wall art. Listen to his Friday Feature Artist...

Read More
Sarah Brayer: Art as meditation

Sarah Brayer: Art as meditation

In this Friday Feature Artist interview, artist Sarah Brayer reflects on integrating meditation with art-making and the launch of her course, Art as...

Read More
From the archives: Layers of observation with Tansy Hargan

From the archives: Layers of observation with Tansy Hargan

In this Friday Feature Artist interview, UK artist Tansy Hargan shares how observation, constraint, and play shape her vibrant mixed-media art...

Read More