Update as of August 2023: *Teaching Puppetry and Puppet Making at OSU *Creating giant shark animatronic for a Putt Putt course in CA * creating 2 commissioned GIANT stage sized costumes for a designer in NYC to go to Phoenix AZ. *will be teaching textile sculpture in Nov at my new studio in Columbus. (available to teach it anywhere travel is paid) I am adjusting where I spend my time and energy more into my own artwork, professional price commissions and teaching and travel/work. I am no longer accepting full show costume work. That being said, I WILL consider commissioned custom giant or odd pieces that are my specialty or puppets, or tricky props if a professional price budget is available. Currently I am creating a 30 ft cloak and a giant wearable flower for stage for a NYC designer as a commission (not unlike the tentacle skirt I created for Nina West as Ursula the Sea witch) I have also been travelling to Denver CO and the next 5 weeks to San Jose CA where I have made a giant black light shark puppet (animatronic, but those parts not made by me, but I have to adapt and build around them and their functions). I have also created and molded dozens of other sea life for the project and will soon be going to construct and sculpt the exhibit walls which are to look like lava rock. ( I will use my experience from creating zoo exhibits for the animals at Cinci Zoo here!) I will send out the first ever email list in October and start teaching Puppetry and puppet making at Ohio State University Fall Semester. I have changed studios after 9 years in Columbus Ohio and I always have my home studio here as well. I am always looking for more travel/work helping with art shows, teaching, workshops, or just an extra skilled artist needed in your studio for a short period of time I am available at hourly or daily rates with flight and Air Bnb paid. I am solidly booked until nov 1 and taking my fave Halloween and most of November for myself. Thank You all for your continued support and I hope to be showing you new work and having MY work for sale on here and my Etsy shop as soon as I can! send me a message to be put on my email list for updates ! I have not sent out the very firt one yet, probably Nov and it will never be more than 1 a month or spam.

Textile Art Pin 2020

​ARTIST STATEMENT
TonyaMarie

I choose to express my artistic vision through mixed media sculpture. I thrive with the freedom from commitment to any one technique, material, or process. It is this freestyle approach combined with a vast assortment of artistic skills, unusual experiences, extreme curiosity, and observations of life that fuel my work.

Fabrics and textiles offer this same feeling of freedom for me due to their possibilities for manipulation of textures, colors, patterns, and shapes to transform space. I combine other objects or materials with the fabrics when it will further convey my narrative concepts. My approach and aesthetic of interesting color use, textures, and fine detail are the defining constants in my work along with being a cruelty free designer. My subjects are most often nature or animal inspired including my interest in the beautiful bizarre and anthropomorphic worlds.

Through my life’s adventures and research, the inspiration for my work comes from a multitude of subjects and characters, often animals, as I see them, in an anthropomorphic view. My concept is often fact based then
embellished as elements transform into a theatrical narrative of my own vision .

My work welcomes viewers into my imagination while incorporating layers of interest, and often fact-based secrets to find, depending on how deeply they choose to respond to the invitation.

TonyaMarie~ Artistic Director/artist/owner of Gypsy Cat Studios