Announcement
Block prints and housewares by minouette! Find a curiosity cabinet of natural history, science & scientists, myth, magic and more.
minouette is Captain of T.E.S.T.: Toronto Etsy Street Team, a leader of Printsy: Printmakers of Etsy and a proud member of the Mad Scientists of Etsy.
Announcement
Block prints and housewares by minouette! Find a curiosity cabinet of natural history, science & scientists, myth, magic and more.
minouette is Captain of T.E.S.T.: Toronto Etsy Street Team, a leader of Printsy: Printmakers of Etsy and a proud member of the Mad Scientists of Etsy.
Items
Featured items
All Items
Reviews
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Kit on Mar 23, 2022
5 out of 5 starsMy print is beautiful! Such good paper, too. And I love the glow.
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Liz on Jun 26, 2022
5 out of 5 starsLOVE the lab (and he looks just like mine). Lovely print on a quality paper, very well shipped and came within days of ordering. Thank you so much.
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Gloria on Jun 25, 2022
5 out of 5 starsWonderful whimsical print. Caring and personal note from seller. Love it!
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Gloria on Jun 25, 2022
5 out of 5 starsAbsolutely GORGEOUS print. Such a delightful and well thought-out composition. Was even more beautiful in person.
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Gary Ray on Jun 8, 2022
5 out of 5 starsThis will be the second art work I have purchased from minouette. She showcases women in science and I will probably be getting another. Love her stuff. Thanks G
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Teri on Jun 3, 2022
5 out of 5 starsHe’s here!! He’s here!! I love this little guy! Quality print, exactly as pictured. Arrived safe and sound. Ele is a true pleasure. Thank you!
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About minouette
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My 'Polar bear & aurora' lightbox combines my linocut with colour-changing LEDs to mimic the Northern Lights. -
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I have a flat file for my growing collection of lino blocks. -
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Carving the lino block for 'A Murder of Crows' with image and text in reverse -
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The minouette table at Etsy: Made in Canada -
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In my studio with my patron cat, Minouette
Printmaking at the intersection of art and science
When I was younger, my favorite subjects were art on the one hand and physics on the other. I decided that it was easier to pursue art on my own than it would be to attempt to be a modern-day amateur scientist. So I opened my shop as a postdoctoral fellow, working as a marine geophysicist by day and printmaker by night. My work involved building machines and going to sea to image what is below the ocean floor, which kept the spatial-numerical left-half of my brain occupied, but I couldn't survive unless I kept the pictorial right-brain happy, so I need to create art. Right now, I balance my art-making with science communication, running the Toronto Etsy Street Team and raising my baby son.
I make a lot of different things. My shop, "things from secret minouette places" is filled with block prints on beautiful Japanese paper and on textiles. Part of the magic and beauty of printmaking is the possibility of making multiples. This allows me to create original art at a very reasonable price.
I focus mainly on linoleum block prints. The process begins with drawing an image in reverse on linoleum and carving away the negative space. I use a tool called a brayer (like a paint-roller) to apply ink to the lino block. Then I take my paper or fabric, lay it on the inked block, and burnish the image onto it with another tool called a baren. The baren was developed for Japanese woodblock prints. Mine consists of a flat, but textured, disk wrapped in a bamboo leaf. To make another image, I simply apply more ink to the block and repeat.
I also make things from the printed textiles, like pillows, stuffed animals and ornaments. Sometimes I make wood block prints (in the traditional Japanese 'moku hanga' way), screenprints (also known as silkscreen or serigraph prints) and lately, more multimedia work. I love the idea of combining my scientific and technical knowledge with my art making; I've begun incorporating some electronic circuits in my artwork to allow it to interact with the viewer, for instance by lighting up, changing colour or making sounds or music.
I think the intersection of art and science is fascinating and a creative inspiration. My subject matter includes a lot of natural history (flora and fauna, some of which I've had the pleasure of observing at sea), scientists and the history of science, and some myths and legends (which served, once upon a time, to explain the world around us, as a sort of proto-science). I'm really interested in Cabinets of Curiosity (or wonder - the wunderkammer) kept by avid amateurs from the Renaissance up until the 19th century. People had huge collections of natural wonders: rocks, gems, fossils, butterflies, shells, bones, all sorts of plants and animals, real and imaginary. Science and magic were still intertwined. These collections both fostered myth (such as narwhal horns passed off as unicorn) and the development of descriptive science (including geology, paleontology, botany and zoology). I think of my shop as a Cabinet of Curiosity. It's filled with specimens from natural history (with the odd harpy or unicorn thrown in for good measure).
Shop members
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Ele Willoughby
Owner, Maker, Designer
Scientist by vocation, artist by avocation, or perhaps vice versa. Ele is both a marine geophysicist and a printmaker. She pursued courses in printmaking at the Art Gallery of Ontario, Open Studio and studied moku hanga Japanese wood block printing.
Shop policies
Accepted payment methods
Returns and exchanges
I gladly accept returns and exchanges
I don't accept cancellations
The following items can't be returned or exchanged
- Custom or personalized orders
- Digital downloads
Returns and exchange details
Payment
minouette does ship internationally. International shoppers are responsible for any taxes and duties charged by their nation's Customs officials.
Shipping
International shoppers are responsible for any taxes and duties charged by their nation's Customs officials. Please be advised that occasionally, items shipped internationally can be delayed by Customs for as much as a few weeks. Thus sadly, minouette cannot guarantee delivery times.
minouette does guaruntee you will receive your purchase; in the unlikely event a package is lost, the contents will be replaced or the sale refund.
If you encounter any difficulty with the shipment of your package please contact me!
Additional policies and FAQs
Please be advised that some stuffed animals and pillows are embellished with small items, like buttons and beads, which can be choking hazards. These items should not be given to infants, toddlers or pets who might gnaw on them. Any item with buttons or beads will be clearly identified in its description and in the materials list. If you would like buttons and beads removed for safety reasons, please let me know. You may also request a similar item, without such embellishment.