She's still working out of her dad's basement, but not for the reason you might think
Mary Ratcliffe builds furniture using her grandfather's tools: 'It's like his spirit is still there'
As a kid growing up in Toronto, Mary Ratcliffe spent an unusual amount of time in the basement. Her dad had a workshop down there, stocked with old tools passed down from her grandfather — and for a future furniture designer, it was the best place in the world to be.
On that front, nothing's changed. So on this episode of The Places We Make Art, we're going down to the exact same basement — the spot where where Ratcliffe taught herself basic woodworking so many years ago, and where she continues to craft furniture for clients. Those custom tables and light fixtures are a long way from the wooden Christmas toys she'd cobble together back in the day. But in this short film directed by J.D. Leblanc, she explains why home is truly where her art is.
More episodes of The Places We Make Art:
For Ekow Nimako, this is the best place in the world to play with Lego
Think you can handle a visit to this artist's kill room?
This artist gives us a whole new way to think about 'house painting'
She's done music videos for Drake and Miguel, but every idea starts at home for this makeup artist
The Places We Make Art is a CBC Arts web series about just that. Profiling Toronto artists from a multitude of disciplines, step into their creative lives by exploring the unexpected spaces that inspire them the most.