Introducing Lou and Mike from Wally and Eva. Where every item is handmade!! From their home in the Hunter Valley, NSW, Lou and Mike hand make all of their amazing creations.
Find out why Lou and Mike started creating and why they are so passionate about the value of handmade.
Tell us about your creations and your handmade process.
Starting from a little beaded jewellery business in 2016, our true goal as makers was to get to a point where we proudly handmade a range of our own unique products. I was predominantly creating the designs and Mike was coming up with handcrafted display stands to show off our products at local markets. From there he developed a love and remarkable skill in wood craft.
We both have a passion for natural and locally sourced materials and this led us to combining our skills to create a collection that celebrates this passion.
Often our process begins with me waking up in the morning and saying to Mike “I’ve had an idea”. And the ever patient Mike working out ways to turn my sometimes crazy ideas into reality (or very gently, dissuading me from the more ‘out there’ ideas I’ve dreamed up).
We then do drawings and computer designs, prototypes (some successful…some not so much…) and once the finished design is right we start making in earnest. Because of my constant stream of ideas, we do create a diverse range of products but our favourite products are our handmade Australian hardwood & fabric cylinder table lamps, our hand-painted Australiana earrings and the new range of handcrafted resin, wood and acrylic brooches.
Tell us a bit about your journey to becoming a handmade artist.
When I was in my late teens while training as a dancer at the VCA, I started making my own jewellery. At that stage I was making delicate little necklaces and earrings that scratched an itch. Then life took a turn after an injury ended my dancing career and I went headfirst into the corporate world. Fast forward a couple of decades and I just woke up one day and told Mike I wanted to start making jewellery again. What started as something to scratch that recurrent itch again soon started taking over rooms in the house and friends suggested we sell at local markets and the rest is history.
What is your inspiration or where do you find inspiration?
Our inspiration is simple – the beauty and splendour of nature. What could be more inspiring than the flora and fauna that make up our Australian landscape? I’ve always been a bit of a bird nerd but a funny thing happens to as you grow older and you suddenly go from “look at that pretty bird” to “ooooo, is that a blue-faced honey eater ?”
Mike still calls them “birdies” or “special birdies” depending on the species but it doesn’t dampen his appreciation or enthusiasm.
Where did you learn your craft?
I really believe the skills of makers are already inherent and just sitting dormant waiting to be tapped. We’ve learnt and honed our skills through reading, researching, (A LOT of) trial and error and the generosity of other like-minded artisans who have shared their knowledge with us.
My Dad has been making extraordinary, meticulously made model aircrafts for decades so I think my love and skill for detailed painting comes from there, and my addiction to fabric designs comes from my fabulous Aunt who was a Milliner and Dressmaker. Mike found out after falling in love with all things woodwork that there is a history of wood workers in his family (don’t you just love that).
Why is handmade artistry so important to you?
On a higher plane I think being an artisan is about connecting to past makers and sometimes forgotten or infrequently used skills that might otherwise become lost. is a way to share and encourage a love of creativity in the wider community. On a personal level, Mike & I get to explore our own creativity in the things we design and handcraft.
To be honest I am at my happiest when I am making things or dreaming up new ideas for future designs and products. I also love the more environmental ethos that lives within artists and consumers in the maker arena; the pull towards quality over quantity, the move away from mass production and consumerism and the lovely personal stories attached to each creation.
I think one of the greatest things about being a maker is that we get to meet so many like minded souls, not just other makers but the people who are drawn to and buy our creations and share our affection quality handcrafted pieces and the incredible and unique creatures and plants that make Australia such an amazing place to inhabit.
