I have always loved anything creative. Cooking, painting, designing, pretty much anything that I could get absorbed in and feel like I could create without boundaries and rules.
I come from a family of creatives: kitchen designers, airbrush artists, jewellery designers, and gem cutters. As you can imagine, the conversations around the dining room table are passionate and there’s plenty of creative problem solving going on no matter the topic.
My parents encouraged creative pursuits and were always introducing new creative traditions like our “handmade Christmas presents’ and “alphabet birthdays”.
My Mum was amazing at getting us to try new things. She knew how to gently push us out of our comfort zone and into something new. She was the one that encouraged me to follow my design interest and study Graphic Design at Billy Blue Collage of Design.
From there I’ve had a varied career in the fashion and footwear industry in such roles as graphic design, product development and sales. In 2015 launched and later sold my own organic baby clothing brand.
But it wasn’t until I was asked to illustrate two children’s books that my true love of illustrating and painting emerged. Although I didn’t know it at the time, illustrating these two books - “When Mum Went to Heaven” and “Charlotte’s Shoes” sparked a complete career change.
I felt an immense sense of relief. Like I’d finally stumbled on what I truly love doing.
And in between all that creative mess, I’ve raised two beautiful but energetic sons and completely renovated our house. Yes, I drink a lot of coffee!
When we finished our renovation, I went looking for a unique, modern artwork to hang in our house. There were a lot of generic, mass-produced prints, but they lacked texture and emotion, and they said nothing about me or the home I’d spent months creating.
I believe art should evoke something. When you walk in the door, it should welcome you home. It should tell visitors something about the people who live in that house, who they are, where they have been and what they want to be surrounded by. It should be calming yet invigorating, impactful without dominating the room.
And that's why I created Harvey-Walker Studios, to bring that feeling to your home.
