Natural Beauty: Eclectic Ox Designs

In theory, I love all my neighbors. Don’t you? But that doesn’t mean I know them very well. I always wave and smile, but we don’t have in-depth conversations or spend a lot of time together.

But there’s one exception in my neighborhood. And I met her about 100 miles away from here, even though she lives just down the street.

That’s Molly Croteau: maker, designer, naturalist, wife and mom, and… my neighbor.

Molly is the founder and owner of Eclectic Ox, where she hand-makes innovative, unique and sustainable jewelry, home goods and art inspired by nature—and her own eclectic tastes.

From delicate, laser-cut wood earrings, bracelets and enamel pins to bike spoke clocks and coasters and intricate paneled room screens, Molly dabbles in a little bit of everything.

“Bringing nature into the home makes me happy,” says Molly, as she leans in to tell me about how the natural world and art have both been huge parts of her life ever since she can remember.

Although she never formally studied art, she has been drawing since she was tiny. She fell in love with botanical illustration, and then in college took an eco-design class that had her obsessed with architecture. While she loved the idea of creating and building structures and toyed with the idea of becoming an architect, ultimately, she longed for more freedom to create whatever designs were calling to her.

The woodworking she had tried in school stuck, and over the years she began to experiment with this new medium. Then, not long after moving to Costa Mesa a few years ago, she became an apprentice at The California Workshop on the Westside. There she learned CAD modeling and how to operate a laser machine. She started to create her own designs, and use some of the scrap FSC certified wood from the workshop for her creations.

Eclectic Ox was born later that year. The name comes from her own personality: her Chinese Zodiac sign, the Ox, and her varied and distinctive (eclectic) tastes.

As Eclectic Ox has grown and evolved, Molly’s desire to continue learning has pushed her try out new mediums and techniques.

Which is really what caused our paths to cross—that artistic longing that pushes us both towards playful creation.

It was pure chance that Molly and I met one night at Craftcation in Ventura back in 2016, just outside of the conference hotel ballroom. We were both with other friends, all about to attend the evening’s event: a kind of crazy, creative scavenger hunt through the hotel called Wanderings. Our groups decided to merge and tackle the experience together.

As we wandered, we chatted a bit about what we did and where we lived. It was loud, and chaotic, and she may have told me she lived in Costa Mesa too, but it didn’t stick.

Weeks later, back at home, I found her card and remembered her distinctive and gorgeous earrings and I wanted some for myself. I placed an order on Etsy and was gob-smacked when my package arrived with a return address that was literally around the corner from my house.

“I didn’t know whether I should mail them or drop them off on your doorstep!” she laughs. That was the beginning of a beautiful friendship, and as we have gotten to know each other, I have an even greater appreciation for her talent.

A few days ago, Molly took me over to The California Workshop, where she creates all of her woodworking designs. She set up a sheet of scrap wood on the laser machine, programmed her design in, and I got to see her bicycle spoke coasters come to life in front of me.

“Even though you have an idea in your head of how a design is going to be, it doesn’t always turn out that way,” says Molly. “But I learn something which can take me in a different direction and that’s the best part of creating.”

To find inspiration for her designs, Molly goes straight to nature, and loves our local landscapes to spark her creativity. The Back Bay, Fairview Park, and the Santa Ana bike trail all bring her a closer connection with the natural beauty and patterns that fire up her imagination.

Her California Poppy illustration is now available as both a patch and an enamel pin, inspired by the native California landscape right here in Costa Mesa.

My favorite, her wood laser-cut earrings, are surprisingly light and super comfortable to wear. Some are stained in bright colors, and others allow the gorgeous grain of the wood to shine. Recently Molly has started creating lunar mobiles that showcase the phases of the moon. These complement her mid-century inspired wall clocks that feature the spokes of a bicycle wheel.

Many of Eclectic Ox’s works feature sacred geometry patterns, like those seen in Moroccan tile work or Hindu mandalas. These mathematically perfect designs have an almost magical meaning to Molly.

“I just think it’s amazing how the natural world works, that these patterns can create such crazy, beautiful designs!” she says.

She sometimes points these naturally magical things out to me when we take a morning walk through our neighborhood together. Most recently, she was telling me about why she loves living in Costa Mesa with her husband and two kids.

“We have so many small business owners, artists, musicians, and athletes here who love what they do and give of themselves to make Costa Mesa a better place. Rock stars teaching at The Music Factory, professional skateboarders teaching their skills at Volcom Skatepark, and so many more.”

The only thing she would change about the Mesa—more bike lanes, please. She sometimes misses the bike-friendly streets of the East Bay Area, where she moved from four years ago.

And what would she tell someone who wants to become a full-fledged maker too?

Talk to other makers in the community—ask a lot of questions and for help when you need it. Cultivate a willingness to keep learning and growing. And when things get tough? Remember why you started.

“I love the quote ‘work is love made visible’,” says Molly. “That really captures it all for me. If you do what you love, it will show and will spread that joy to others through your work.”

I couldn’t agree more, Molly. And that’s just one more reason to love my neighbor. ♥

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Find Eclectic Ox online on Etsy, or check out upcoming local handmade markets on http://www.eclecticox.com/. Follow her on Instagram too: @eclectic_ox

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