About me

I have been a Japanese creative Kokeshi collector since I was a teenager. I made my first Kokeshi inspired doll a few years ago, I had always dreamed of being able to make my own ones, mainly because I was struggling to find blue Kokeshis and I wanted one… Fast forward to 2020’s first lockdown and the pandemic. I couldn’t work like many other people, and I found something I hadn’t had in a while : time. I turned a doll, one I made in memory of my Akita Inu Kiba, “Kiki, who had passed away recently. I posted the Kokeshi on my Instagram, and a friend asked me if she could buy one of me. I made another one and had a second request… I have kept making them ever since. They became “Kiki’s dolls”

I am a self taught woodturner, my technique and skills are fairly basic, and although I have turned quite a few dolls with a head/body shape, I feel like I can express myself better through the oval shaped Kokeshi. I feel more creative on them! I have never turned anything else…

I love to give my dolls a real spirit. They embody the essence of a person, memories, places, elements which mean a lot to the recipient. Each doll is very unique, it’s part of what makes them special. They all have their name engraved at their base.

I have been drawing since as long as I could hold a pencil, but I really started having a genuine interest in it when I was around 16 years old. I used to draw Japanese manga, my love for Japanese culture and Art has always been very present in my life.

I studied History of Art in both High School and University, which I’m sure helped me develop an eye for composition and colours. I illustrated a folklore stories book in 2016 and kept drawing on paper, mainly with ink. Wood burning is a very different technique, but it felt very natural to me. I really like painting on wood, watching the grain stand out through the colours is very special.