Meet The maker: Fungus & Mold

Who are you, where are you from and what do you make?

The name Fungus & Mold comes from mine and my partners’ nicknames combined, Angus & Maud. I am Maud, I am from Petworth in West Sussex and I am a textile designer and printmaker. I now live on the coast with my partner Angus who helps me with carving our wooden printing blocks. Angus is a farmer and works very closely with local bird conservation, this area is renowned for its diverse bird life as the farm is surrounded by the sea.  

What inspires you?

Mid century patterned dresses and textiles, kitsch kitchens and homewares. Paul Gauguin paintings, Picasso’s drawings and Sonia Delauney’s paintings and textiles. Oh I love French stencilled ceramics, tiles and painted ceilings in medieval churches. So many inspiring things that don’t obviously inspire my designs but are all there in the background feeding my overall style and use of colour.  

What is your workshop luxury?

Adobe software and my second hand CNC carving machine. I create my wooden blocks digitally as this is how I learned to design, working in textiles has taught me how to combine the hand made with digital design and work with the advantages and quirks of them both.  

Your favourite studio lunch?

Cannellini bean and tuna salad with lots of coriander. The joy of tinned goods! I will add an egg or asparagus if I’m feeling fancy. 

Best spot in the British Isles?

So this has to be North Devon, specifically Hartland and the surrounding beaches and area. The beaches are hard to reach and a little scary with big cliffs that look like they could fall on you at any moment. I have such good memories of fires on the beach cooking sausages, fishing in rock pools and feeding limpets to my granny, who said she liked the taste but I’m not sure she was actually eating them… 

What do you find challenging about being a creative?

I have so many ideas but find it really really hard to start things. I am very critical of my work and possibly compare myself and my work too much to others.  

What would you like to learn next?

I would like to learn more about plants and identifying them. We live by the sea so there are lots of lovely plants about, we have been picking samphire recently, so delicious. 

How do you let your hair down?

A tasty pint, swim in the sea, or just a hot bath and some TV. 

What are you listening to at the moment?

The Radio, mainly 6 Music which I haven’t done for years! We just got a digital radio and before I was hooked on drive time Radio 1 because my commute was more than an hour.  I love listening to the radio, I like how it is prescribed and other people are listening to the same thing in real time. I should start texting in and take my relationship with the radio to the next level. 

What makes you feel well chuffed?

Finding a proper second hand bargain! Oppositely, spending money on something that I know has been beautifully made by a maker who really cares. I feel so chuffed when someone is interested in what I am making and wants to buy something, such a great feeling.