Our brief for the RO x Kate Quinn Collection was: wearable art, and oh boy, have we delivered. You can now get your hands on a Kate Quinn original artwork in all the most loved RO pieces plus NEW gorgeous modal scarves (you should see the HUGE square scarf option available). Oh and did we mention that there's a few extra goodies coming soon ;) Keep an eye on this space! Until then, let's get to know Kate...
Shop RO x Kate Quinn 'Lots Of Lemons' Pieces here
RO: Tell us a little bit about yourself?
KQ: I live in inner city Brisbane with my husband and three teenage children, and work full time as an artist, from my colourful and chaotic home studio. I mostly paint floral still life, but I also dabble in portraits and landscapes from time to time. I use oil paint and oil sticks on canvas and love the saturated colour, creamy consistency and forgiving slow drying time of oils. I have done various painting short courses but am not a formally trained artist, so have cobbled together my own unique techniques and methods over the years to create my style of painting.
I’ve been painting for over a decade now, but only in the last four years has it
turned from a hobby into a profession. I exhibit my work in various galleries and homewares stores. I also sell directly from my website, have a small range of my own art-designed homewares and clothing, and co-teach art classes across Australia with my other business, Bloom Art Experiences.
RO: We are so thrilled for this collaboration. What product are you most excited to see your designs on?
KQ: All of them! I have been lucky enough to get a preview of all the products in the range and they are all gorgeous, but in particular, I love the soft, flowy, tactile qualities of the scarves...they are just so beautiful to the touch. I am also a big fan of the large carry bags, which will be super handy to contain all my art supplies when I teach art classes.
Shop RO x Kate Quinn 'Here Comes The Sun' Scarf here
RO: Use three words to describe your art.
KQ: Colour-rich, joyful, floral.
RO: What was the first piece of artwork you connected with? How did it make you feel?
KQ: I actually started painting in the first place because I was so in love with the floral still life pieces by Australian artist Laura Jones. I loved the energy, looseness and dynamic colour she brought to her incredible paintings and initially, tried to emulate her painting style. Over time, as I practised and learned my own techniques, my own style developed.
RO: As an artist, have you ever struggled with inspiration and creativity? If so, how did you get that spark back?
KQ: I rarely struggle to find inspiration. I find flowers and foliage on my walks with the dogs all the time and have a lovely garden out the front of my home full of flowers. If I get stuck, I will scroll through the Instagram of florists I love to find an arrangement that would be great to paint. From time to time I don’t feel much like painting, so I will do some business admin instead, or, just force myself to try to get started on a painting and usually, I fall back into the groove pretty quickly.
Shop RO x Kate Quinn 'Lots Of Lemons' Scarf here
RO: We love talented and amazing women (like yourself) here at RO. What’s the best and worst thing about working for yourself?
KQ: Best thing is definitely the freedom to work when, where and how I want to, completely on my own terms, and to be able to fit it in around the kids schedules. I also love not having to get dressed up and do my hair or makeup for work... no-one knows if I spend all day in a tracksuit in this job!
Worst thing is working from home, it’s so easy to be distracted by the washing, tidying, and other chores. I have to be quite disciplined about making time in the studio be like any other job outside the home.
RO: Tell us something we’d never guess about you?
KQ: My actual, formally trained profession is as a social worker, specialising in domestic and family violence. I left that career two years ago to pursue art full time.
Wow! What an incredible insight into your life Kate, thank you so much for sharing your story with us.
We hope you LOVE this collaboration as much as we have loved bringing it to life in all its glory. We'd love to hear from you in the comments, what is your key takeaway from Kate's story? Or what is your favourite piece in the collection? #celebratingamazingwomen
See the full RO x Kate Quinn collection here.
CONNECT WITH KATE:
Instagram - @katequinnart
Facebook - @katequinnart
Website - katequinnart.com