Dayna Edwards: Skilled Craftswoman

Dayna Edwards makes the best walnut bath caddy I have ever seen.

Dayna has an artisanal approach, she is a skilled craftswoman, using traditional methods with a focus on high quality and attention to detail. All her creations are handmade that involve specialized techniques or expertise. She is an amazing artist who uses her creative expression to create practical things for the home.

I met Dayna at Art Crawl and was super impressed with her humility, gentleness, simplicity, and innocence. I told her what I was looking for, sent her a few pics and I was blown away by the bath caddy she made for us.

A bath caddy, also known as a bathtub caddy or bathtub tray, is a practical and convenient accessory designed to enhance the bathing experience. It is a flat, usually rectangular, tray or platform that spans the width of a bathtub. Bath caddies are typically made of waterproof materials like bamboo, wood, plastic, or metal. The primary purpose of a bath caddy is to hold various items and keep them within reach while you relax in the bathtub. It usually features multiple compartments and slots to hold items like books, tablets, beverages, toiletries, candles, loofahs, and mobile phones. Bath caddies are adjustable to fit various bathtub sizes, and they often have extendable arms or adjustable sides. This adaptability ensures that they can fit securely across the width of your bathtub, providing a stable surface for your items. Bath caddies are not only functional but can also add a touch of luxury and organization to your bathing routine. They offer a convenient way to keep everything you need within easy reach, so you can fully relax and enjoy your bath without worrying about accidentally dropping or splashing your belongings in the tub.

Dayna made a bespoke bath caddy from walnut wood. She measured the width of the bathtub to determine how long the caddy should be. She got the wood, sanded it, stained it, prepared the resin, added pigments, poured the resin, remove air bubbles, added decorations, and cured the resin. applied a waterproof finish and gave it to us with a candle. What a true consummate professional. I was fascinated with her approach and sat down to talk to her.

I really like your resin art on wood. Talk to me about it and what drew you to it.

During 2022 I had to take time off from work due to illness. Between doctor’s appointments and learning how to care more for my health, I found myself needing an outlet much like during the 2020 lockdown. I originally did acrylic pour work back then, but while watching some videos for inspiration, I found resin. Being a person who loves trying new techniques, I loved how versatile and beautiful resin was, and it wasn’t long before I found videos of resin on wood and fell in love with the idea. It’s just a gorgeous combination!

Where do you get your inspiration from?

I get a lot of inspiration from watching videos online, but even more inspiration simply from my friends! They’ll say: “Have you tried…?” and then just think up how I can really make that idea pop during the creation process.

On social media you talk about being diagnosed with EDS, help me understand it.

Last year I was diagnosed with Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder (HSD), which may soon just be categorized back into the Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) category. HSD and EDS are a group of connective tissue disorders that can affect all parts of the body. Very basically, the glue that holds my body together doesn’t work as well as regular people. My joints and tendons can sublux (partial dislocation) or sometimes fully dislocate. This disorder also implies many other chronic health conditions are present and can affect daily life. Once again, this is just a very basic explanation, but I highly encourage people to research it! The more awareness we have, the more diagnoses will be made, and more doctors will be looking into better treatment options.

You have been through so many challenges. I find you joyful and innocent. Walk me through how you manage to achieve this state of mind.

I’m glad you find me joyful! It wasn’t always this way, especially because the vast majority of my life I had no idea what was wrong with me. Even when I finally figured out what was wrong, I had to wait two years on a waitlist for a doctor to confirm it. Health conditions kept piling up, and there was a lot of “why?” I was asking. But, I’m extremely lucky to have very supportive friends and family to help me through. My artwork actually is what has helped keep joy in my life. I also got deep into meditation and spiritual work, and I found that it really helped me see things from a different perspective. I discovered that I didn’t want to be this miserable person who brought people down. Instead, I strived to be someone who brought others up. There’s more than enough negativity in this world, and it’s time to change that!

I love your charcuterie boards, acrylic pours, coasters, and bath caddies. Are you open to a unique order from a client?

I am always open to a unique order from a client! I would never just want to do the same things over and over again, hence why I named my business “Mix It Up Artistry”!

Some people might say your work is expensive. Tell my audience the work that is involved when you make a bath caddie compared to buying one from Walmart.

Yes, the work is expensive, but so much more goes into it than one may think! Especially when the wood is involved. So much time goes into just sanding, filling in any flaws, and even more sanding to ensure everything is flat before I even think about laying down my outline. You also need to time layers of resin properly so paint doesn’t float up from the wood, make sure it doesn’t leak into what you’ve routed out and really know your chemicals! I also need to have the proper PPE for the resin, sanding, and when applying the finish. It can get very complicated! And if someone has requested a very specific design, I have to make sure that all of these things work together properly in order to achieve that. I’m not sure if the bath caddies you find at Wal-Mart go through the same process!

Talk to me about your city and what is so unique about it.

I’ve only been living in Hamilton for three years now, but I can honestly say I love it a lot more than I did living in Toronto! There’s a lot more nature and trails that are accessible here, and my dog definitely loves that! There’s almost more of a sense of community here, and I think that’s also what’s going to keep me here for a long time