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I Made Parta
Ubud, Bali
Seeing Made's amazing work was the initial inspiration for starting Cool Weird Wonderful. He is a lovely person as well as an extremely talented artist. We stumbled across his shop while wandering one day while on holiday. We fell in love with his work but showed restraint in only buying a few items (although we did spend all of the cash that we had on us that day in his shop!) We had a lovely conversation with him and were impressed with his friendly and easy going manner as much as his art.
Made has been in business since the 1980s. He runs his business with the help of his family in Gianyar, Bali.
He has a unique painting style and a great sense of colour and design. He paints his designs on hand carved wooden sculptures, resin cast objects, furniture, canvas, mirror frames and other items (we are currently only stocking his wooden sculptures and resin cast objects, but if we have success and get a bigger garage, watch this space!)
Made loves colour and strives to create art that is different to the norm. People have described his work as crazy and wild, and some have nicknamed him "Made Wild" because of his unique style of art. He spends hours creating unique designs to make people smile, and always seems to have a new creature or design available.
Made also provides support to other artists in his community to provide income, education, and a brighter future for their families as well as his own.
We hope that this is the beginning of a mutually beneficial partnership between ourselves and Made's family, as well as a lasting friendship.
To view or purchase Made's current work, visit our Shop.
I Dewa Gede Merta Yasa
Ubud, Bali
Dewa is a very talented artist producing colourful and interesting original paintings on canvas. Dewa comes from a family of painters and supports his family with his artwork and by teaching others to paint. He uses quality materials to produce stunning work. He specialises in the traditional style of botanical paintings known as 'Pengosekan style' as well as modern style artwork.
We currently have a small selection of Dewa's work, but are keen to source more. If you are interested in a painting similar to what we have available but in a different size, with different colours, or different subject matter, contact us and we will talk to Dewa about it.
To view or purchase Dewa's current work, visit our Shop.
Kate Toogood
Victoria, Australia
I have been a maker of random things since I was a kid. Aaron would tell you that I have too many hobbies and always have a bunch of projects on the go.
I was taught to sew by my mother, who is an amazing sewer. As an environmentalist and mad keen opp-shopper, somewhere along the line I decided to make life really hard on myself and only use second hand fabrics, scraps from other projects, and waste from manufacturing for all of my sewing. I enjoy upcycling to keep items out of landfill and give them a new life. I even get my cottons second hand! The inspiration for my sewing projects comes from the fabric pieces I have on hand at the time. I also like to experiment with mixed media.
I am also slightly obsessed with paper making, using 100% used paper. From this paper I make cards and art, using pieces of waste paper and cardboard, paint and anything else I find for decoration.
I really enjoy imperfection and think it adds character to an object. The things I make aren't perfect, but they are always interesting.
To view or purchase my current work, visit our Shop.
Upcycled Sari Wrap Skirts
India
Our sari wrap skirts are made from preloved saris in Jaipur, India. Old saris are collected and any damaged parts removed, with the remaining fabric made into these skirts. The skirts are handmade by women, providing them with employment and keeping the old sari fabric out of landfill. The skirts sometimes show signs of wear, giving a glimpse of their previous life and adding to their character. No two skirts are the same and each is a wearable piece of art.
To view or purchase our currently available skirts, visit our Shop.
Paper Pottery
Sri Lanka
Our indoor plant cover pots, bowls and vases are handcrafted in Sri Lanka by strong and proud women who work from home to earn an income and support their families.
The pots are made from waste paper and lined with natural rubber, are strong and beautiful.
To view or purchase our currently available skirts, visit our Shop.
Dani King
Victoria, Australia
Dani is a Melbourne-based artist who creates beautiful watercolour pieces of native plants and other subjects. Dani started painting to help with her mental health, and soon discovered a great love for her art. Her style continues to develop as she discovers new subjects and techniques. Dani primarily creates hand painted greeting cards and also does larger works suitable for framing. If you like her work, let us know and we can source more.
To view or purchase our currently available skirts, visit our Shop.
