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Unbound creativity with Toni Hartill

Written by Tara Axford | Jul 22 2025
New Zealand printmaker and mixed media artist Toni Hartill invites us into her playful world of artist books. As we celebrate the launch of her new course Unbound, Toni shares how folding, layering, and storytelling can liberate your art from the frame. This thoughtful conversation is a joyful nudge toward process, experimentation, and creating with what you already have.

Show Notes

Takeaways from this episode:

  • Embrace play over perfection.

    Toni shares how letting go of perfectionism transformed her creative practice, leading to more spontaneity, joy, and unexpected results.

  • Artist books as a legitimate art form.

    Through folding, layering, and storytelling, artist's books become personal, tactile experiences that invite audience participation and deeper engagement.

  • Start with what you already have.

    Scraps, off-cuts and test prints are a rich source of inspiration. Toni demonstrates how the ‘fodder’ can be reimagined into meaningful, sculptural works.

  • Simple structures, surprising results.

    From concertinas to cascades, Toni shows how even the most basic book forms can evolve into intricate, expressive pieces.

  • Inspiration is everywhere.

    Whether it’s a kitchen utensil or an old map, Toni’s approach encourages artists to look at everyday objects with new eyes and follow the spark of curiosity.

Join the conversation

What inspired you this episode? Share your biggest insight or favourite moment by tagging @TakeTwoArtCourses on social media or using #FibreArtsPodcast

Explore the artwork from this episode below

During the live interview, we shared some images of Toni’s artwork. Since you’re listening to the podcast version, we’ve made these images available for you below.