Meet the Maker: LunaTique Boutique

Describe what type of products you make under LunaTique Boutique.

I primarily make 3D mixed media works and assemblages. Most feature found or salvaged objects combined with animal skulls and doll parts. I also make junk journals, other paper works, and some wearable art, aka jewelry.

Tell us how you got started with your businesses.

As a seller of antiques and vintage, I found myself saddened that so many collectors view less-than-perfect old things as garbage. As a domestic violence survivor, I believe damage doesn’t equal trash. As the mother of children with special needs, I know the beauty of different. As an empath, I feel the pain of being tossed aside. Past lives are important. Imperfections are indeed charming. I am compelled to salvage things, people, and myself.

What are your personal favorite items you’ve created so far?

That’s so hard to say! All my creepy little (and large) babies are so special to me… I love getting updates from buyers with photos of them in their homes, living their best lives. But as of this writing today, I would say She Brings You Flowers is one of the most truly beautiful works I’ve made in a while.

What is the strangest item you’ve worked with?

I made a latex cast of my husband’s bum for It’s Not Ladylike To… which is currently at The Rourke Art Gallery.

What is something people would find surprising about the work you do?

Probably the salvaging part. It takes quite a bit of time. You have to find the old fragile dolls, books, etc, and then deftly sever the interesting parts you can save. But it’s worth spending the time rendering what’s left of the fragile old silk from an antique purse frame because while that aged look may be (mostly) replicated, the texture and sentiment cannot be. Plus, you occasionally find secrets inside these things. With a purse, I found photos of women kissing sewn inside it. For the rest of her life, one of those women carried her love around as a hidden secret the rest of her days! That’s why I likely was so obsessed with saving that old black silk.

You recently opened a shop inside First Avenue Market! What are you most excited about to have a brick-and-mortar shop?

The boutique’s Artist of the Month feature. Each month I curate works that fit the boutique’s aesthetic from a local artist, supporting local self-taught, outsider, and folk artists who otherwise might not have access to such a public space.

What is something you’ve enjoyed the most about doing this handcrafted business?

For a few decades I was a paid writer, but now I tell stories visually without words. Maybe the stories aren’t as precise now, but I believe it’s in those blank open spaces that others find messages that resonate with them. That’s magical.

What is the most challenging thing?

Like most makers, the constant struggle between art and commerce.

What is one craft or art medium you haven’t really dabbled in yet that you want to try someday?

Victorian hair art! I am just beginning to play with this—and I am miles away from creating anything close to the haunting beauty of those old depictions of willow trees made out of human hair! But I am going to get there one day!

What is a word that best describes you?

Obsessive

What advice would you have given yourself five years ago?

Start now. Do the things! You will find your people. You will be happier! And what no one really stresses enough to you when you are younger is just how aging eyes will plague you… You will be years ahead if you start right now and build that muscle memory, the ability for your skilled fingers to just feel that everything is done right, so that even if vision isn’t as precise, your work still will be.

Where can people find your work?

luna.tique.boutique
Facebook | /D.Luna.Tique.Boutique
Instagram | @d_lunatique