Returning to Art

Throughout my teens and early adulthood, I kept creating — sewing, painting, pottery, anything tactile. But it wasn’t until later, after years working with my husband in our jewellery business and raising four children, that I came back to painting more seriously. I’d set up little creative activities for my youngest son Asher when he was a toddler, and I realised, “Why am I not painting too?” So I pulled out my brushes and started again — painting florals, still life, native Australian flowers, proteas — the things I’ve always been drawn to.

Discovering Surface Design

That rekindling led to mosaics, where I transformed my own paintings into intricate wall panels. Then came printmaking courses at the National Art School, experimenting with lino, woodblock and other techniques. At some point, my daughter — who was studying fashion — suggested a print and textile design course. I was 48 and had never studied formally, but something clicked. I enrolled in a full-time course, and that’s where I first heard of “surface pattern design.”

It was like a lightbulb moment: I realised that the fabrics I’d always adored didn’t just exist — someone actually designed them. From screen printing to hand-drawn pattern repeats, I learned it all, and something inside me lit up. At the time, it wasn’t meant to be a business — it was just a passion project. But when I shared some designs on Instagram in 2012, people began asking if they could license or buy them. I didn’t even know what art licensing was!