Inside My Studio: How I Bring Each Design to Life
Can you describe your creative process — from the first spark of an idea to the finished piece or product?
My creative process always begins with nature. I’m constantly inspired by flowers — especially native Australian flora, exotic blooms, and anything with striking form and structure. Proteas, bromeliads, orchids, banksias, irises, pansies — I’m drawn to the unusual, the vibrant, and the sculptural. That’s where the spark starts.
Whenever I travel, I make it a point to visit botanical gardens, historic estates, or heritage sites with beautiful gardens. I take hundreds of photos — not necessarily to copy directly, but to use as reference points. They live in my memory and on my phone, and sometimes months or years later, I’ll scroll through and find something that reignites an idea.
In the studio, I sketch often — though not usually in sketchbooks. I prefer working on large A3 sheets where I can explore multiple flower forms or compositions all at once. I rarely draw from life. Instead, I tap into a memory bank of visual impressions, letting my imagination and intuition reshape what I’ve seen into something more stylised and expressive. My work isn’t realistic — it’s about capturing the essence of a flower’s shape, its energy, its movement, and reinterpreting it through bold colour and design.
I’m always painting. I often work on several pieces at once — sometimes three, sometimes fifteen — building out a cohesive body of work. That allows me to explore colour palettes, textures, and themes more deeply, and to develop ideas that can eventually become a full collection. Within each group of works, some emerge as “hero pieces” — standout artworks that feel particularly strong. These are the pieces I usually develop into art prints, homewares, or present to licensing partners.
Sometimes those licensing collaborations surprise me — art directors might pull a piece I painted 10 years ago and pair it with something I created last month. But because I’ve always painted from the heart, and followed my own style without trying to fit trends, everything somehow still works together. I have paintings from decades ago that still sit harmoniously alongside my latest work.
As for deciding what becomes a print, a scarf, or a tea towel — it’s a mix of intuition and design sensibility. Some pieces are meant to stay as original artworks. Others are perfect for textiles or stationery. I was trained in textile and surface design, so I know how to translate a painting into a seamless repeat or a placement print, but it always starts with art that I feel emotionally connected to.
I also paint intuitively — rarely sketching beforehand. I find pre-planning can feel restrictive. When I let the brush lead, what might seem like a “mistake” often becomes a discovery — a new shape, colour blend, or unexpected movement that brings the piece to life. I trust in those moments. That’s the muscle I’ve built over years — trusting the process, trusting my eye, and always following the spark. Browse the collections
