Interview with Adam Jones of Quercus & Co

I have a lovely interview to share with you today with Adam Jones, wallpaper designer and owner of Quercus & Co which is a Sydney-based wallpaper and printing studio. You might remember I wrote about his beautiful wallpaper designs a few months ago which are hand painted and then digital produced onto heavyweight paper. It has been fun to see his designs pop up in various places including being featured recently on The Block. Most recently he has released a new collection of designs called 'Colourwash' featuring bright, colourful washes of translucent inks that are hand-brushed into bold designs and inspired by traditional Chinese screen fretwork and Japanese Shibori. So beautiful!

I asked Adam a few questions and to give us a little insight into his creative process:

Please tell us a bit about your background and what led you into wallpaper design.

I grew up in a creative family and always loved art and craft, later studying Textile Art at Goldsmiths college in London. It was a very 'conceptual' time for art in the mid 80s (I was in the same year as Damian Hurst) and anything decorative was dismissed as trivial. A few years later I reluctantly took a job in a paint and wallpaper shop in Clapham but really enjoyed it. Moving to Sydney in the early 90s I worked as a decorative painter and colourist. I was with Porters Paints for over 10 years. I planned to start producing wallpaper many years ago however the right time didn't arrive until late 2011 when I thought 'dammit, this has been dragging on too long'. After much research I leased a huge professional inkjet printer and launched Quercus & Co in May 2012.

What techniques do you use to produce the designs and where do you find the inspiration?

The technical issues with printing have been an incredibly steep learning curve. I'm passionate about digital printing as its potential is unlimited and the pace with which technology is progressing is mind-boggling, however my first love is for the hand-drawn - the marks and brush strokes of pencil or paint. Like playing music or singing, drawing and painting by hand require a connection to how you feel and if you're lucky that feeling is carried through into the artwork. It's this connection that inspires me and however subtle this may be I like to consider a new design on how the pattern or colour 'feels'.

I have so many ideas planned that one of the most difficult things is sorting through which direction to move into next. Currently I work on my own and the demands of running all aspects of the business leave only a small amount of time for creative work... but I'm getting there!

What has been one of your proudest or most memorable project so far?

I'm thrilled with every order I send out and I don't mean financially (although I'm amazed I can make a living at this) but that someone has made the effort to buy something I have created. I really hope they enjoy it! I basically like pleasing people, perhaps that's shallow..

A memorable project would have to a scenic-chinoiserie style gold wallpaper I created for Fat Noodle, a restaurant in the Treasury, Brisbane designed by Luchetti Krelle. I haven't had the opportunity of seeing it installed yet.

PS. I had a look at the Quercus & Co website again this morning and there is a picture of the installation at Fat Noodle. STUNNING work! You can see it here. 

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+ Images with permission Quercus & Co

+ Address: Quercus & Co Wallpaper Studio - Level 1, 722 Bourke Street, Redfern

+ Website: www.quercusandco.com

Creative Space: Shibori

SHIBORI CREATIVE SPACE I HAVE ANOTHER creative space to share with you and this one is owned by the creative duo Karen Davis and Pepa Martin of Shibori who create beautiful textiles and materials using their interpretation of the traditional shibori technique. They have both been busy working on various projects and collaborations, managing their online shop and more recently they have released a new book titled Shibori Recreated: The Book. Their creative space was photographed for ish and chi and I asked Karen and Pepa a few questions: How did you get started with Shibori and what do you love most about what you do? Shibori began with our love of dyeing and the hand made. We both found Shibori came naturally to us. It was not forced and we have always loved experimenting and learning new techniques and the possibilities are endless.  Tell us a little about your dyeing process and where you find inspiration for your work. We like to take Shibori binding techniques and simplify them. Often we will experiment with a new technique and do it as textbook as possible. Then we look at ways we can modify it to fit with our contemporary style. We like to experiment with different textures and fabrics such as leather, hessian and hemp. We have adapted techniques for these different fabrics. Inspiration can be found all around, nature provides more inspiration then anyone could ask for.	What is one of your proudest achievements? Most definitely the release of our book “Shibori Recreated” which looks at other artists and designers who are also recreating this ancient Japanese art form. Putting together the book was by far the largest and most rewarding project we have ever worked on. It united us with a community of Shibori artists from all over the world and as a result we have a beautiful visual  diary of all their work to share with everyone. "Shibori began with our love of dyeing and the hand made. We both found Shibori came naturally to us." - Karen & Pepa, Shibori Thank you Karen and Pepa for sharing your space and work with us (and your dog is adorable!!) and also to Emily Sephton for the beautiful photographs. Visit Shibori and you can purchase a copy of their book "Shibori Recreated" available in their online shop.

Strummer

There are some wonderful things happening in Sydney. Little studios tucked away and beautiful designs being born within. I was lucky to visit the Redfern studio space of fashion label Strummer by Edwina Hagon to get a peak into her new Autumn collection and for my friend Emily to photograph her creative space to share with you. It was fun to see her large inspiration board with fabrics, images and ideas tacked to it and samples of her new collection.

I asked Edwina a few questions:

How did you get started in your career and what does 'Strummer' mean?
After completing a business degree at UTS, I went on to study fashion at Ultimo Tafe.  After studies I worked for a Sydney based label for a year and a half.  I then tried my hand at styling for a little while. 

Strummer was born in 2008 and I continued with the odd styling job whilst also growing the label until it became a full time affair.

Strummer doesn’t mean anything as such – I chose the name because there is a nice rhythm to the word and when I say it I feel the way the clothes also make me feel. 

  
What inspires you and your collections?
I find inspiration everywhere.... from the streets to the web, magazines, movies, books. I love people watching and seeing what styles are moving by especially around Redfern where I am based – I see some really quirky and individual looks.  I also go to the library and look through loads of books depending on my main inspiration theme for the season. 

Tell us about your latest collection and what we can expect to see from Strummer in the future.

Our latest A/W Collection, Baby Blues, is devoted to Trailer Park Living and the romantic side of 'Beautiful Trash'. 

We shot the campaign 126km north of Sydney at Freeman's Waterhole Caravan Park where the residents are primarily permanent tenants. 

I was inspired by a more simplistic way of life and really wanted to capture the personality of the location whereby possessions are fewer and the surrounding community live together with a village mentality; all sharing the one big front lawn. 

I hope you have enjoyed this visit and Edwina, thank you.

♥ Visit Strummer
♥ Photography of studio No Chemistry

PS. If you would like to see a video to accompany this post, visit ish and chi on facebook and if you have a creative space you would like to share, please contact me. I would love to hear from you.

Jen's creative corner

Jen of Stuff Jen Did recently shared with me photographs of her creative space. In the corner of her living room she has setup an easel to paint artwork for her herself as well as commissioned pieces for friends and she will soon be exhibiting her work in a local gallery.

Creative Space: Puddin'head Studio

In April 2010, I wrote about having met Sydney based printmaker and designer Richard McAdam at an exhibition and having seen his work for the first time. Back then Richard's Puddin'head business was only very new and his beautiful designs caught my attention, not to mention he was lovely to chat with.

Creative Space: Brad Robson

One of my most favourite experiences is seeing where creative people work - their creative space. They have a soul that can't be replicated and provide an insight into the creative mind and process which I love to see.