From Studio to Shelf: How I Choose Which Art Becomes a Product
You work across both fine art and product design — from original paintings to tea towels, stationery, textiles, and more. How do you decide which artworks become prints, homewares, or licensed designs?
I don’t usually start out thinking, “This will be a scarf” or “That one’s for a tea towel.” I begin by simply making the art — painting, drawing, and creating what I feel drawn to in the moment. It’s always about the artwork first. Over time, I build up a body of pieces — finished paintings, sketches, illustrations — which become a working portfolio. Then, when I’m creating a product line or presenting to licensing clients, there’s a wide variety of unseen work ready for them to choose from.
It’s often surprising what gets chosen. Art directors regularly pull together selections that I wouldn’t have thought to combine — or they fall in love with a piece I’d completely overlooked. Once I’ve made something, I tend to move on to the next idea quickly. I don’t always have time to stop, sit with the work, and imagine how it could live on in the world. So when someone else sees something special in it — that’s a beautiful moment.
When a particular piece gets chosen by multiple clients — say, for bedding, fabric, and greeting cards — I take that as a strong sign that it has universal appeal. Sometimes it’s not even my personal favourite, but if it resonates with others, I trust that. That’s often when I decide to release it as an art print or include it in one of my own product lines.
My paintings are a bit different. I usually let them sit in the studio for a while — sometimes unfinished, sometimes 90% done — and live with them before deciding what comes next. There are times I think a painting is finished, only to revisit it weeks later and realise it needs just one more highlight or brushstroke of colour.
Once I see which art prints resonate most with customers, I start building those into collections — maybe adding them to scarves, tea towels, or stationery. I also think about how a piece fits into the visual language of existing collections, like Garden of Eden or Mid-Century Botanicals. It needs to complement the other pieces, not compete with them.
When I’m developing a collection for licensing — say, for bedding or homewares — I might start with two or three hero designs and then build a full story around them. That includes pulling from older work, creating new supporting designs, and making sure everything works together across multiple product types like fabric, wallpaper, wall art, and more.
I always have sketchbooks, loose drawings, and rough concepts tucked away. Some of those sit for years before I find the right moment to turn them into something finished. I work in bursts — sometimes painting daily for 30 days straight, other times batch-creating during quieter studio seasons.
So, in the end, the decision of where a piece ends up is part instinct, part feedback, and part the magic of timing. It’s a mix of trusting my creative flow and responding to what resonates most with others. View all the different products collections by Kirsten Katz
