life & style
Art attack Every doodle is a masterpiece-in-waiting, says Maria Wolf of kids’ art company LivArt. By Kate Farr
D
ominican Republic-born Maria Wolf has always been drawn to the creative side of life. “Although I graduated as an industrial engineer, I found my calling in the creative field,” she explains. “I worked closely with children’s clothing designers and that inspired me to create my own products. From very early in my career, I had a vision to create products where I could involve children in the development process - I wanted my products to have an emotional connection with my customers.”
It’s so cool to be able to say ‘my child designed this!
After moving to Hong Kong from India in 2012, Wolf chanced upon the ideal outlet for her vision. “My daughter Liv absolutely loves art, but I had all these precious artworks with no space to keep them all. Having to pick and choose what to keep and what to throw out broke my heart. I wanted to find a way, not only to be able to keep them all, but also to display them so she could be proud of her work.” Wolf hit upon the idea of creating a ‘collage’ - or ‘masterpiece’ - of her daughter’s work, sending copies to families overseas. “Living abroad has made it difficult for Liv’s grandparents to be a part of her daily life; 52 expat-parent.com
“It broke my heart to throw away my daughter’s precious artwork,” says LivArt founder Maria Wolf
having her work on a wall in their home made them feel closer to her.” Sharing the ‘masterpiece’ collage idea with friends, Wolf was soon inundated with requests from parents struggling with space issues in Hong Kong apartments, and so LivArt was born. Drawing on her textile and design background, Wolf has since expanded the range to include wearable art pieces such as scarves, dresses and tees, as well as cushion covers, although she admits the company’s
main drawcard remains the ‘Masterpiece’, a collective design artwork base of up to 30 drawings, sketches and paintings. Meanwhile, her Wear Your Artwork range uses just one drawing or painting that transfers onto different products for adults and kids. “When people ask who designed the fancy scarf or tee-shirt, it’s so cool to be able to say ‘my child designed it!’ Customised pieces are the best - they makes you unique.” And of course the whole range has been created mindfully with minimal environmental impact. “I believe in continually investing in product and material innovation,” she