H. Toynton

“Pursonality”

Expressive Form: Collection of Works

Artist’s Statement

Purses, often overlooked as mere accessories, are symbolic of more than material.  They are an insight into one’s personality, who they are or who they want to be. This collection of work is a dedication to all purses and the people that carry them.

Historically, women improvised with leather pouches under their skirts, their garments not including the convenience of pockets like men.  The purse has evolved to represent women’s independence, providing the ability to carry her own precious things without reliance on her male counterpart.

The interior of the purse, often intimate, holds her most essential items; her phone, her makeup and even her menstrual products.  The exterior becoming a status symbol, a fashion statement.  Whether hard, soft, shiny or beaded, it is specifically chosen by the individual who carries it as a declaration to the world about who they are.

I invite you to think – what does your purse say about you?

Inspiration Artists:  Phillipa Beveridge and Julie Bartholomew

Process Diary