Penny Ferguson - aka Min Pin - can't quite settle on a single medium, but that's hardly something to grizzle about when each experimentation is done so well. Whether in paint, pencil, pixels or plastic, her kooky characters pop out in pastel hues and make us want to squeal with glee.

We threw a few questions Penny's way to find out what makes her creative side tick.



What is your name and how old are you? My name is Penny Min Ferguson and I am 27.

Where were you born and where do you live now? I was born in Perth, Western Australia but moved to Melbourne around five years ago.
Please describe the space where you do most of your creation – whether it's your art studio or kitchen bench! I work under my bed, actually! Well, under my loft bed. I live in a tiny studio apartment, so my desk, printer and sewing machine are all hauled up together in this tiny space. It's pretty dark too and full of piles of fabric and junk – not romantic and inspiring at all!



What kind of media do you use? Why do you choose to use these media? I use all sorts of media. I love learning how to use new materials and the particular techniques and processes that go with it. Currently I do a lot of work with shrink plastic and printed fabric, but next year I hope to move into silversmithing and creating more high-end jewellery and metal work. I have always seen Min Pin as an illustration-based project, which means I can take those illustrative worlds and recreate them in any form.

Is there a running theme to the work you create, or do you just make whatever comes to mind? I just make things I think are cool! Well, my version of cool, anyway. At the moment I'm really into all kinds of mysteries of the world and the unknown, including outerspace, UFOs, ghosts, weird true stories, unexplored parts of the ocean, etc. I find that stuff super interesting and fascinating and really enjoy exploring them in my work.

What makes your work unique and truly your own? I definitely believe that we are all cultural cogs in that we take in certain things that are around us, interpret them and then spit them out. No idea is completely original, more of an extension, merging or lateral jump away from other ideas.

I am in love with and inspired by so many things (visual and abstract) and I think that all those things get filtered and squeezed into my work with Min Pin. I feel that what makes my (and other artists) work unique is how filtered those ideas are and how far along your creative path you are away from the main road.



Does that make sense? I think copycat stuff is really boring and is usually motivated by moneymaking or lack of self-confidence.

Tell us a little about your creative process. Sometimes something random will just inspire me but most of the time I'll be sitting down with a sketchbook specifically brainstorming. I find making designs on the computer is much easier and freeing than just sitting down and painting. You can press Edit+Undo 'til the cows come home! But I do try to practice my Zen and paint straight out. I just tend to always stuff it up at the last minute and get angry at the hours I've wasted.

If you were to teach an art appreciation class, what kind of lessons would you try to teach your students? Interesting question! Firstly, I would encourage them to just appreciate the unique and individual things they were already into (whether it be Manga art or Max Ernst – because everything's valid etc). Then I would outline the benefits of having an open mind and being active in seeking out new aesthetics and ideas – as opposed to passive.

So many art schools seem to have an agenda of what their students should be appreciating and I think that's ridiculous. Nothing is intrinsically good or bad, just like what you like and keep an open mind.



What is the strangest thing or thought that has inspired a piece of work? Actually, I'm super inspired at the moment by the idea that humans have only discovered 5% of what's at the deepest parts of the bottom of the ocean. 5%! What the hell is down there? Could be anything! Of all the directions evolution has gone, where else can it go?

Apparently an animal that was thought to be extinct before the dinosaurs washed up dead on a South African beach recently. What's up with that? Are there dinosaurs down there too? This will definitely all be inspiring my next collection!

Which era of art do you appreciate the most? I'm not really sure that I'm drawn to any particular art movement in history. I do really like the Pre-Raphaelites though. Super creepy!



What do you doodle when you are daydreaming? I must admit I don't really doodle and daydream. I doodle for work and get down to business! I did find some old high school notebooks recently that I had scribbled all over and there were all these drawings of sleeping faces! I must have been tired a lot.

What would you be doing if you weren't making art? I would be living in a log cabin in the middle of the woods with lots of kids, pets and friends, just tending to my garden and chilling out. But I can still do both, right?

Where can we see more of your work? minpindesign.com