TIMOHANDMADE

My name is Timor, and I live in the Israeli port city of Jaffa.

TIMO-HANDMADE Dolls came about almost by accident when while moving apartments, I discovered an enormous textile collection I'd unwittingly been gathering, including a small inherited case of multicolored threads, a shirt I loved but could no longer wear (yet couldn’t bear to part with), a jar of buttons with no apparent relation to one another, a handkerchief with my grandfather’s initials, an embroidered pillowcase with a hole in it, and so on… So I set to work creating with these found treasures.

The dolls are simply the current manifestation of "me making stuff," which has been a defining theme in my life for as long as I can remember. So far, I have dedicated most of my life to art for art’s sake: I studied painting in a master class and worked professionally in stage design, an etching workshop, at the Israel Museum art collections, and I have been teaching oil painting to mentally ill students for 13 years in a number of non-profit organizations

The desire to sew things together and make something new was born from the materials themselves. Whereas in painting, I have to prepare the colors on the palette, with textiles, the palette appears ready before me and I need only make connections. Since I don't have to be practical in my designs (unlike a clothing or furniture designer), both the customer and I have a good deal of freedom in deciding how to relate to my work.

It is very important to me that my studio operate ecologically, both practically and socially speaking. For me, eco-design is a way of fulfilling a responsibility that we all have to ourselves and to our environment.

On a practical level, ecologically responsible consumption and manufacturing mean recycling, minimizing waste, simplifying processes, and making things that are designed to last. With this mission in mind, I use mostly recycled materials from a plethora of sources: Some I glean from other local businesses and designers who save their cloth remnants for me; others I buy as fabric scraps, and some are donations from friends and family since there isn't home around without a box of buttons and unused textiles pieces. Best of all, I live right next to the famous and historic Jaffa flea market, which for me is like living near a wishing well.

Socially speaking, ecologically sensitive design means having positive personal relationships with suppliers, employees, and consumers. As far as my dolls themselves are concerned, it also means being sensitive to different cultural phenomena. For this reason, the characters in my Family Dolls line come in all skin tones, ages, genders, weight, physical limitations, and religion so that people can assemble any family they please. It brings me great joy to see how customers use the dolls to create every family model you could possibly imagine.

My favorite part about running an ETSY shop is the unrestricted nature of a web store. The artist is not obligated to the “market” nor to the taste of a gallery owner. Instead, you are free to run wild, creatively speaking, without being committed to large series, mass production, or a particular style. I enjoy browsing other artists' virtual stores, as a web store is like an exclusive glimpse into someone's private studio. The ETSY community is also exciting for me in that it strips away boundaries and creates instead a worldwide net of human connections.

I make almost everything I sell myself, but I could never have succeeded without the help of my family, friends, and neighbors. For example, I have one friend photographing the dolls for me and several friends and family members who work with me in the studio on, especially large orders. They are a diverse group of amazing women (if only the dolls could tell you what they overhear!), and I'm so grateful to have them all in my life and in my studio.

I sell my work in my Jaffa studio, online, and in several boutique shops around the world. While TIMO-HANDMADE has become my main focus, I still occasionally take freelance design projects and devote time to painting and teaching.

Thank you for your interest. It is my pleasure to create for you!
:)
Timor