Inspired by...Maxine Sutton

I've always been an avid admirer of Maxine Suttons work, and after seeing some of her new pieces, I wanted to share the love on the blog.

Initially trained as a fine artist but with a keen interest in textiles, Maxine experiments with stitch, collage and  screen printing to create beautiful textile artworks.

Some of her clients include Anthropologie, Heals, Liberty and Selvedge Magazine.

As well as an online shop, Maxine has a shop below her studio in Margate, where she also runs occasional workshops exploring screen printing and stitch.

Here are a few of Maxines pieces, new and old...

(all images above copyright of Maxine Sutton)

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Whitby...

The boy and I had a little break in Whitby recently.

We were super lucky with the weather as the majority of the days were sunshine fuelled, and we managed to visit quite a few of the little towns and villages around the area.

A firm favourite would have to be Runswick Bay which felt like we were walking around a hillside in Greece as opposed to the UK! 

Staithes was also really lovely, where we found a gorgeous little tearoom, Dottys cafe and Vintage Homewares, and meandering streets down towards the sea.

A must do in Whitby are the 199 steps up to the English Heritage owned Abbey, and yes, the boy did feel the need to count them just to be sure.

The views from the top were amazing as I'm sure you can imagine.

Here are a few photos from our trip...

(all photos above copyright of louise/ loveprintstudio blog)

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This & That...

This little collection of swatches...

That array of weaving loveliness...

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Colour crush...

We've had horrendous weather here in the UK this week.
As I write this it's literally pouring down with sheets of rain!

So, if you're in the UK, and fed up of this miserable weather like me, heres a zingy colour crush post to cheer you right up, and give us some hope of the sun returning soon.

(clockwise from top left)

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

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Three lovely things...

Yummy kitchenware (1)

A beautiful watercolour floral by Luli Sanchez (2)

Watermelon and coconut milk ice-cream (3)

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The little things...

Watching

Two of the loveliest films I've seen in a while. 

'Miss you already' will make you laugh, cry and everything in-between.

I hadn't heard much about St Vincent before watching it but it's just a wonderful, funny film with a great cast.

Highly recommend both!

(lets be honest, anything Drew Barrymore does is good in my book)

Listening

Lucie Silvas' beautiful album 'Letters to Ghosts'

Sharing

A few snaps from a recent little holiday in Whitby

Reading

The Girl on the Train

(can't wait for the film!)

Loving

Oh my goodness.....unicorn shoesies!!!!

Whats not to love???

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Colour crush...

Happy Friday!

That makes it perfect for a colour crush post I think...

(clockwise from top left)

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

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Mid-week moodboard...

We've had some glorious days of sunshine in the UK recently and its feeling like summer, yay!
Well, apart from the thunderstorms yesterday...minor blip.
Lets hope the sun comes back soon, and in an effort to try and encourage it, heres'a happy holiday moodboard for your Wednesday.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

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Etsy shop find...a chat with Sarah & Colin Walsh!

This months etsy interview is with the super talented design couple, Sarah and Colin Walsh of Tigersheepfriends.

A Husband and wife duo who create gorgeous illustrations and quirky designs across an array of products in their etsy shop; tote bags, mugs, art prints, magnets, badges and many more!

So, perfect for a Monday morning, grab your cuppa and have a read...

1. Can you tell us a bit about yourselves and your backgrounds...

Colin: I went to Ringling College in Sarasota, Florida for design.

Sarah: I went to St. Rose for Design in Albany, New York. 
We both went to schools in our home town and then got jobs at Hallmark in Kansas
City, Missouri right out of college. This is where we met and became friends. 
It wasn't until years later that we dated and then fell in love! 
Colin had quit Hallmark to travel to South American and Australia and then ended up coming back to Kansas City for other reasons. We bumped into each other and started hanging out. 
Through drawing in coffee shops, buying art books together and perusing record
stores, we realized we had very similar passions and ideas about art, illustration, music, bad jokes and life in general.

2. Who are your design heroes or favourite designers/illustrators, and
what inspires you?

Mary Blair, Ben Shahn, Dahlov Ipcar, Donna Wilson, Carson Ellis,
Margaret Killgallen, Andy J. Miller, Quentin Tarantino, Basquiat, Andy
Warhol, Kubrick, Alice and Martin Provensen.

3. ‘Tigersheep Friends’…how did you decide on the name for your etsy

shop and when did you open it? Is there a particular reason behind
the name?

It's a bit random. We both misunderstood a friend during a conversation and thought they said "Tigersheep" when they said something completely different. 
We both really liked the way it sounded and started thinking about the idea of the juxtaposition of what tigers and sheep represent. 
Tigers are known to be fierce, powerful, and cunning. Sheep are part of a herd, gentle and innocent.
The friend part came later. We like the idea of belonging to a tribe of like minded individuals. And we love meeting new people and hearing their stories. 
Especially when we travel.

4. Tell us about a typical day for each of you...

Coffee first! 

Colin: We snuggle with our 2.5 year old son Finley, have breakfast, and then get ready for the day. Finley goes to daycare 3-4 days a week so we can work. 
Sarah mostly works on client based work during that time (she quit Hallmark a few years back to focus on her own work) and I work as an in-house designer/illustrator at Hallmark. We usually work/party on Tigersheep Friends at night after Finley goes to bed which means very late nights sometimes!

5. Can you give us an insight into your creative process?

Tigersheep is an outlet to experiment with ideas and new product formats. It's a chance for us to have fun and be as weird or quirky as we want. 
One of us will think of an idea and then we'll talk about it together, sometimes adding to it. We like to research, look at different books, and experiment with a variety of mediums. 
We'd  love to do some more collaborative pieces together, like murals and toys.

6. Where do you work? Describe your studio/work area...

We renovated our basement a few years ago. We have a sewing station, our computer desks, a cutting table on top of a ginormous flat file case and a painting table. 
Then of course lots of books and other shelves to store things. 
There's also art on the wall of course. It's still a work in progress. 

Sarah: Sometimes I work at the kitchen table because I need sunlight! 
When I'm in sketch mode on a project I like going to local coffee shops.

7. What art do you have on your wall?

Pieces from Dick Daniels, Andrea Pippins, Spencer Numer, Maura Sandoval, Dean Kube, Hammerpress, Melissa Powless, Grace D. Chin, hopefully a painting from Jaime Rovenstine soon, a Draplin poster, a folk art mask, our kids artwork, some of our own but not much, some weird and fun thrift store finds (a painting of an unknown bald man that our friends gave us because they couldn't fit it in their truck when they moved!), some knick knacks on tiny shelves, and a ukelele.

8. What are your big loves in life?

Our children, family for sure, each other! 
Drawing and creating things, painting, surfing, snowboarding, playing music, writing music,
art, discovering new bands, food and drinks!

9. What’s the most rewarding thing about being a designer/illustrator?

The process of making something, the idea that you can surprise yourself with a new discovery of color combinations, pattern arrangement or a new composition that's extra wonky or weird. 
It's such a process and you don't always know what the outcome will be.
Which is cool! 
Also that someone else might get joy from it is the best!

10. What’s the most popular item for sale in your etsy shop?

The Happy Alpaca print

11. What are you working on currently? And any big plans for the coming year?

Just a few weekends ago we got our daughter settled into her Chicago apartment and also dropped some of our prints off at a shop called Paperish Mess. 
We're always looking for new shops to sell our hand made products in. 
To kick off spring we did a really fun window display for Wonderfair, an amazing shop in Lawrence, Kansas where we also sell our wares. 
That was so fun because we got to make giant succulents and tiny dinosaurs made of wood and then hand painted. 
At the moment are both separately working on really cool book projects and are getting ready to list some new pillows and prints. 
Hopefully in the next several months we'll have our screen printing studio set
up so can screen print our soft goods! 
It's been a goal for sometime.

Thanks so much to both Sarah and Colin for taking the time to be part of the etsy interviews and giving us an insight into their world.

(all artwork above is copyright of Sarah Walsh/ Colin Walsh/ Tigersheepfriends)

And thanks for the fab photos guys!

You can follow Sarah here...

etsy | facebook | pinterest | website

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I'm still here!

Apologies for the lack of posts recently but the boy and I have had a little break for some much needed r&r, and I'm back just catching up with things now, so normal service will resume shortly, ha!

Heres a little pic from our time in Whitby...

Ooh, and theres a corker of an etsy interview coming your way very soon.

Have a lovely weekend!

(photo above copyright of louise/ loveprintstudio blog)

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