10 June 2015

In the ninth edition of our Australian Art Series, we talk to Melbourne artist Antoinette Ferwerda - whose passion for colour spills over into her work as designer for the limited edition Ninnho towels we're currently featuring.
For the next 14 years, my pharmaceutical career took precedence over my art practice until having my children kickstarted my creative career. Spending time at home with my bubs allowed mental space to consolidate my creative ideas, regular art practice and a business framework. Developing my website established a highly accessible portfolio of artwork and a contact point for potential clients. My creative network began to grow, working with private collectors and then professional representation by Greenhouse Interiors and the Ministry of Art Gallery in St Kilda followed.
My themes include fossicking in rock pools, trips to the countryside with rolling hills or monolithic rock sculptures evident in the Australian outback & psyche. The Still Life themes emerged during my solo exhibition to capture the humour of daily life in an illustrative, almost retro-like fashion. Each print theme has a different personality with some bringing lively conversation to a dining space or peaceful calm to a bedroom. This collection of prints aims to compliment a home with gorgeous pastel colours and a narrative design story.

Suddenly it's 3.30pm and my kids are home from school! With the dog in tow, we hit the park before homework then it's dinner time/ bath routine before the kids go to bed. Bedtime for kids means grown-up time with a glass of wine…phew! Some nights I'm tired and catch up on a TV show before returning emails or hit the art studio. Evenings are best for uninterrupted production time and night painting helps me keep on top of multiple projects.


Follow Antoinette on Instagram @antoinetteferwerda
Australian Art Series: Antoinette Ferwerda

In the ninth edition of our Australian Art Series, we talk to Melbourne artist Antoinette Ferwerda - whose passion for colour spills over into her work as designer for the limited edition Ninnho towels we're currently featuring.
Your journey to becoming an artist is a unique one. Tell us how you kickstarted a creative career?
My creative career has taken some unexpected twists and turns! When I was very young, I wanted to be an artist, and being one of five children with a creative Mum made me a mix of artistic tendencies with resilient determination. My school art portfolio earned my place in Graphic Design at RMIT. A couple of years later, I had deferred, completed further study and wound up working in the corporate world.For the next 14 years, my pharmaceutical career took precedence over my art practice until having my children kickstarted my creative career. Spending time at home with my bubs allowed mental space to consolidate my creative ideas, regular art practice and a business framework. Developing my website established a highly accessible portfolio of artwork and a contact point for potential clients. My creative network began to grow, working with private collectors and then professional representation by Greenhouse Interiors and the Ministry of Art Gallery in St Kilda followed.

Tell us more about your art – what materials do you use, and what do you like about them?
Painting is my absolute passion and working with acrylic paint and paper is the bomb! Layering paint & fine paper blends colour and texture, making a 2D concept appear 3D at times. This technique creates translucency, deep shadows, flat areas or pools of light. Linear painted lines add a second dimension for clarity and adding gold or copper leaf is my latest love.How would you describe this collection of prints?
This collection of prints invites a view of the world in a spectrum of pastel colour and unique themes! Each limited edition reproduction evokes a feeling or a memory, designed to be universal and relatable. The detail of my original painting is captured in the quality of the textural layers.My themes include fossicking in rock pools, trips to the countryside with rolling hills or monolithic rock sculptures evident in the Australian outback & psyche. The Still Life themes emerged during my solo exhibition to capture the humour of daily life in an illustrative, almost retro-like fashion. Each print theme has a different personality with some bringing lively conversation to a dining space or peaceful calm to a bedroom. This collection of prints aims to compliment a home with gorgeous pastel colours and a narrative design story.

Your collection features a palette of pastels. What's your approach to colour?
My approach to colour is always changing and I love working with muted, pastel tones or rich, deep colour palettes. For me, colour is about mood and setting a tone or feeling within a space. Colour placement definitely evokes feelings of connectedness with the composition of an artwork. My approach to colour begins as a subconscious process then evolves to an acute awareness of colour placement, embracing the mood within my painting. A striking moment of clarity occurs when my eye sees a balance of colour as a whole. It's a sign the artwork is nearly finished which is exhilarating and satisfying!What does a typical day for you involve?
A typical arty day starts with brekkie and getting the kids ready for the school run, then straight after school drop-off a large, take-away latte on the way to my first meeting by 9.30am. Admin takes a large proportion of my school hours day, with daily domestic tasks squeezed in around various tasks - phone calls, invoicing, design research, emails, framing, Ninnho towels, Pantone colour selections, art shop visits, website, retail print orders and private commission briefings. Working with art clients is my favourite job – it's inspiring and challenging and each private commission is an opportunity to bring a vision to creative reality.Suddenly it's 3.30pm and my kids are home from school! With the dog in tow, we hit the park before homework then it's dinner time/ bath routine before the kids go to bed. Bedtime for kids means grown-up time with a glass of wine…phew! Some nights I'm tired and catch up on a TV show before returning emails or hit the art studio. Evenings are best for uninterrupted production time and night painting helps me keep on top of multiple projects.

Tell us about your studio and your creative process?
My art studio is jam-packed at the moment with canvases awaiting my next solo exhibition this November. The studio allows me to create separately from the home space, which is important at times. My creative process begins with reference sketching followed by visualisation. This is a technique where I imagine how I would paint my canvas from start to finish. Sounds bonkers I know, but this visualisation technique has enabled greater efficiency and productivity once I hit the art studio. It's amazing what I can paint in my head whilst vacuuming or unpacking the dishwasher!What inspires your work?
Inspiration for my work comes from everywhere, which sounds clichéd but it's true! I see pattern, form and colour in nature and the living world. I'm drawn to architecture, fashion and psychology. My children inspire me with their use of colour and line drawings – so much uninhibited, gorgeous crayon freedom! Reading, hearing poetry or listening to a story around a dinner table can trigger an idea for a painting too.
You recently had your first solo exhibition at Melbourne's Ministry of Art gallery – what was that experience like?
My first solo exhibition at the Ministry of Art in St Kilda was the most amazing, daunting, rewarding, fulfilling and truly incredible experience, providing me with recognition for my artistic passion. I committed to the show date and there was no turning back. It was gruelling to paint late into the night for months. Opening night was a little nerve wracking as I waited for guests to arrive and wished deeply that someone would actually buy a painting. Suddenly the room was full of people, champagne was flowing and my paintings were selling. It was as though my past and present had collided and in a flash, every creative pursuit over the years had come full circle in that one night. A sense of ownership & belonging to my creative being had occurred, reminding me I had come home to myself.What do you hope your art will bring to a home?
I hope my art brings life, love and colourful story to a home xxxFollow Antoinette on Instagram @antoinetteferwerda