Artist's statement I create these fibre sculpture figures to honour life, and life is most obvious through its creatures’ expressions. Be that creature human or animal, our expressions are the loudest testament to being alive. We, with our millions of individually unique faces and bodies, are what make earth exciting, dramatic, passionate, miserable, ecstatic, turbulent, gentle, hateful, beautiful and so much more, just by resting our head this way or looking at each other that way, closing our eyes or opening our mouths to Roaar or howl at the moon. And then there are our offspring…watching, learning, imitating and aspiring to become us, until their old enough to love who they are. This is where my creations come in. To teach children at a young age to love their childhood and bring them into the art world through their own world of storytelling and expressions. We confine art to the adult world and our appreciation is often attached to “experience”. At the same time we crave that uncomplicated, free expression that often eludes experienced artists as they lose the child within them, and with the child, their truest freedom of expression. Nature is where I find my freedom. My child. And that is where my figures, along with a story written up for each one, is inspired from. To be a reminder that there remains much to love about life
"provoking children's imagination through art"
We travelled the world
I created this line to be entertaining for children, an heirloom to pass down due to it's unique handmade design and durability, and finally as a decorative ornament for the home as it instantly adds character and colour to a room.To add even more character, I write up a story for each animal & bird and add them to the packaging of the chosen figure. The stories can be found in my blog section. Feel free to read it to your child whether you have the "hero" of the story or not.
Every stitch & thread in these one of a kind figurines is handmade. I sketch the animals & birds from nature then design their patterns myself. I never repeat my designs and use batik from the famous Wissa Wassef art centre because the artists never repeat their freehand designs either (to know more go to the "About Y.W.W batik" section).
The material is all 100% Egyptian cotton. I may sometimes use a mixture of cotton and wool threads for the hair (please read the description of the item to know the details, especially if you have any allergies).
To read the animal's stories go to "Taya's storytime!" through the toy stories section
Safety precaution
The eyes are all embroidered for safety instead of stitching an object that could be a choking hazard. Still caution is always recommended, especially if it's a gift for a child under 3 years old or one who still puts things in his/her mouth at a later age. I try to make it as safe as I can by double stitching and sewing from one leg or ear to the other, making it very difficult for the stitch to break but I do not follow the EC declaration of conformity. The EC declaration requires me to set my toy on fire and hang heavy weights from it for testing which I can't do to my one of a kind items.
I sometimes add a squeaky toy to my elephants' ear so kindly contact me to remove it if it's for a child under 3 yrs of age(or one who puts things in their mouth) or make sure the choice you make doesn't contain one. It will be written in the description if it does.
I currently sell my artwork through the gallery page and soon at my atelier at the RWW Art Centre in Egypt.
The packaging consists of a cloth bag containing the figurine, a link to its story (if available at the time of purchase) and an authenticity label. The Crochikit logo will also be attached. To ensure you're acquiring an original Taya Doss design, the logo (found at top of website pages) will be attached to all crochikit sculptures as well as an embroidered T.D will be stitched onto each creation. Older creations may only have the embroidered initials. If you happen to own an older version and would like the logo attached, please contact me and I will attach it for you
To follow my profile on instagram through the nametag please do the following:
- Open the name tag screen on instagram
- Press “Scan a Name Tag” at the bottom of your screen
- A new screen will appear so that you can scan
Or simply visit https://www.instagram.com/CrochikIT/
