Mattie Hinkley is a Richmond-based illustrator and woodworker who specializes in fine art furniture and is also well-known for her striking illustrations of human forms. For two years, she studied sculptural fine furniture at The Krenov School in Fort Bragg, California, and has since been producing work that varies from delicate hand-carved brushes and spoons to modern and elaborate wooden sculptures. Fueled by a desire to see more women in positions of leadership in woodworking, Mattie recently returned to her home state of Virginia to continue her education at VCU in Crafts and Material Studies and pursue a teaching certification.

While Mattie considers woodworking to be her trade, she has also been drawing for as long as she can remember. Her pencil and ink illustrations often feature large, sweeping human forms that interact with one another very intimately and honestly. “My woodworking practice and my illustrating practice truly are two different entities,” Matties explains. “For me, it feels important — or at least good — to separate my practices. Drawing for me is a lot more expressive and explorative; making money off my illustrations almost always feels feigned. But woodworking is something I feel comfortable making for other people. I like thinking about how they’re going to live with the piece I’m creating, while illustrations are something I want to live with.”

Mattie talks a bit about pricing work fairly as an artist and how it can be difficult to compensate yourself for the work you put in. “I think you should get paid fairly for what you do, but it can be so hard to put a number on that — especially when it comes to trying to make my work accessible,” Mattie says. “I like bartering with my friends, and supplying them with the things that I have access to. And that’s why teaching is so appealing to me: I’m able to give people the tools they need to make anything they’d like.” We love getting to connect with fellow strong-willed women who are working against expectations and fighting to make space for themselves and their practice.