Layer by Layer Issue #34 A weekly note from the studio Oh hello! So glad you are joining me in this week's newsletter. Representing Nelléne's Design Studio A Hall Full of Colour, Conversation & Creative Joy Sunday, 20 September, I took part in my first community art market hosted by the Bays Art Collective. Our community hall was almost too small to contain all the colour, texture, and creative energy that poured into it. We spent the day talking with visitors, fellow artists, and curious...
9 days ago • 2 min read
Layer by Layer Issue #33 A weekly note from the studio Oh hello! So glad you are joining me in this week's newsletter. This week I am celebrating my 40th birthday! A decade shift always makes you stop and reflect and I am proud to say: I’m building a life that feels true, layer by layer, brushstroke by brushstroke. And I feel happy. I can't wait to get up in the morning and build this beautiful and meaningful creative business. And I feel so honoured to share my progress and processes with...
18 days ago • 1 min read
Layer by Layer Issue #32 A weekly note from the studio Oh hello! Photo by Jaco Vorster @ Long Bay Regional Park In the Studio This past week has been all about preparing for my very first local art market on 20 September, now less than two weeks away. My studio has been buzzing with making, planning and testing. Art Market to do list (week 1) What I’ve been working on Finding local manufacturers New Zealand may be small, but we have incredible makers right here in Auckland. Choosing local...
25 days ago • 2 min read
Layer by Layer Issue #31 A weekly note from the studio Oh hello! Photo taken by Jaco Vorster @ Long Bay Regional Park, Auckland Last week I stepped out of my comfort zone and into a local artist networking event I found on Facebook. I thought I was simply showing up… but instead, I walked out as one of the founding members of the Bays Art Collective. Within minutes I had: • banners and flyers to design • dates for two art markets • one local art show • and confirmation that my work will be...
30 days ago • 2 min read
Layer by Layer Issue #30 A weekly note from the studio Oh hello! This week has been all about refining, from my painting process, my materials, and the way I show up online. I’ve been deepening my watercolour skills while also shifting my marketing toward platforms that feel more evergreen and less draining. Realistic Watercolour Painting Skills I’ve been deepening my dry‑on‑dry watercolour technique as part of Anna Mason’s Nature Studio membership. What a difference the right materials make....
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Layer by Layer Issue #29 A weekly note from the studio Oh hello! Every week I share a little window into my studio. I talk about the projects I’m working on, the experiments happening on my desk, and the small, steady steps I’m taking to grow a sustainable creative business. There’s so much advice out there about how to make art and patterns, but very little about how to build a thriving, long-term creative practice. So I’m taking you on my journey and sharing it all as I go. A new pattern...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Layer by Layer Issue #28 A weekly note from the studio Oh hello! This is a big week! My Creative Studio is celebrating it's 1st Birthday! Creative Studio turning 1 I’ve stepped a little outside my usual creative lane and I’m loving it. A local medical practice approached me to design their full brand identity: logo, business cards, email signatures, outdoor signage, the whole ecosystem. It’s a different rhythm from textiles and interiors, but the challenge feels energising. A reminder that...
2 months ago • 2 min read
Layer by Layer Issue #27 A weekly note from the studio Oh hello! School holidays always bring a different kind of rhythm, a little more juggling, a little more laughter, and a lot more improvisation. Between watercolour sessions, sketching new florals, and diving into training & challenges, the week already feels full in the best way. Taking long walks on the local beach, Auckland NZ We also took a family day to an Auckland theme park, and for the first time, my daughter was tall enough to go...
3 months ago • 2 min read
Layer by Layer Issue #26 A weekly note from the studio Oh hello! This past week was full of positive energy, where you look up from your desk, paint still drying, ideas still humming, and realise you’ve actually done the thing you said you would do. Mockup created in Adobe Firefly I submitted two designs to the Kindly Woven Blanket Art Call A small but meaningful milestone. Two designs, both rooted in the leaf-and-foliage explorations I’ve been deep in lately, are now officially out in the...
3 months ago • 1 min read