about

Garden Obsessed Artist? That's me!

I am Sophie Nuttall, an artist based in lutruwita - Tasmania.

If you've met me in person at a market event you would have heard my story; living in a rental property that had not much life in the garden when we moved in. We planted a variety of natives and flowering plants over the years and we have been rewarded with a whole menagerie of birds, pollinators and even frogs returning to the garden!

But that is just touching the surface of the soil of my story. 

Since becoming a mother six years ago, my stay-at-home-parenting-gardening life has been the push I have so desperately needed into rediscovering my creative side. I have always dabbled in the art world, but have felt my creative fires extinguished through the daily grind of making ends meet. I am incredibly grateful that I have a supportive family who have allowed me the space and resources to find myself again.

In the world that we live in right now, in all of its beauty and gore, it has been a challenge in my mind, to find the answer to the question of: “does my art matter?”

I now believe that it does.

The practise of being mindful is more important than ever. We are so switched on the majority of the time, that to truly switch off - it seems like a lost art. 
I am an anxious soul, peppered with bouts of depression and self doubt - but I feel these fade into the background when I zone in on the seeds in front of me, when I hold a pencil to sketch a Viola Girl or pick blooms for my favourite vase.

My Viola Girls are rather special to me. Violas and pansies continuously pop up throughout my garden, a reminder that there is life ready to sprout when the time is just right. The colour given by violas and pansies, is what gets me through the colder months.

My intent is to create visual moments of mindfulness, curiosity and whimsy, whilst paying attention to just how incredible Mother Nature truly is. 

My art practice is a mix of traditional and digital - zero robot "brains" used. I spend mindful moments in my garden, taking quick photos and making notes, using these as the reference points for my work. I hand illustrate all of my images, using a mix of pencil, watercolour and ink on paper. I then scan them and create digital collages. I am drawn to texture, natural fabrics, earthy tonal bases with pops of colour.

I have hopes that my art brings you joy and evokes good memories of your time in nature, whilst allowing you the space to pause and focus on your own mindful state.