Artist > Eliza Maunsell
Media > Furniture
I studied Technical Production at NIDA and spent 15 years working in live entertainment as a stage manager, production manager, prop buyer, prop maker and set builder.
In the background, I have long had an interest in woodworking, and in recent years I wanted to move to the country, work on my own designs and start a small business. I attended the Sturt School for Wood in 2019 in order to immerse myself in fine furniture and wood.
I have started my own business called Eliza Wood Co in Wingello NSW, and every day I walk through the forest and find inspiration and inner peace.
My emerging style is very influenced by my 7 years as Head of Props at Belvoir St Theatre and Victorian Opera.
I like to insert personality into my pieces as well as functionality. In my designs, I like to reference historical periods or art movements in the dimensions and details.
Often my pieces have a naïveté about them, and they are simple statements about the colour and grain of a particular piece of timber.
I am very influenced by my years working professionally in the theatre design world because often the furniture I made for shows would find its way into someone’s home afterward. I try to create pieces that are sculptural, textural and could be interesting when lit from certain angles or placed in a certain position in a room. Above all, I feel a piece should say something about the person who owns it, which is why I try to inject personality into my work.