MY STORY

Clare Kibyuk is the textile artist and designer behind The Well Made Walrus. From Sydney, Nova Scotia, her work consists of animals and creatures inspired by the natural world, folklore and mythology. She earned her diploma in graphic design at NSCC Marconi campus in 2006 and experimented in several mediums before discovering her love of textiles in 2014. Her journey as a textile artist began with teaching herself crochet, which quickly evolved into designing her own patterns. From wearable garments, she moved onto sculptural crochet, eventually designing and publishing her own Amigurumi patterns.
Amigurumi, the Japanese art of knitting or crocheting small, stuffed dolls and creatures, is her preferred technique. Her huge love of nature, animals, folklore and mythology can be seen in her work that ranges from custom dolls and figurines to decor and accessories.
The beautiful island of Cape Breton that she calls home is a constant source of inspiration, including the area's strong Celtic connections. Through researching tales from Celtic folklore she has found a way to explore her Scottish and Irish roots and the stories are featured in many of her creations. The art dolls she makes representing characters and creatures from folklore are accompanied by stories detailing their origin, history and mythology.
Through her work, Clare hopes to not only share her love for the stories that inspire her work, but to encourage learning about the natural world and the ways in which we explain our connection to it through the telling and and sharing of folk tales and stories.