Wallflowers and paper gardens

Inspired by her garden and the textures, patterns and colours found in nature, Michelle Austin’s designs bring the outdoors inside your home.

Austin is a Regina watercolour artist and surface pattern designer. She creates original hand-painted works of art for wallpaper, fabric and home textiles.

Her exclusive watercolour designs for wallpaper are available through West Coast Walls, based in British Columbia and Australia. Now, Austin’s garden-themed art has led to an exciting new partnership with a New York-based textile company which manufactures and distributes fabric across North America.

From walls to cushions, bedding, curtains, quilts, table decorations and other décor accents, Austin’s subdued colour palettes enhance home interiors with botanical elegance.

“I’ve always loved painting and gardening,” says Austin. “I start many of my own seeds for flowering annuals. I’m working on expanding the perennials I grow. I’m trying to grow as many different kinds as possible because I love gardening but also because it provides inspiration for my art.”

Some of Austin’s favourite flowers include petunias, Impatiens, bacopa, lobelia, sweet peas, poppies, geraniums, lilies and peonies. Her favourite rose is the Winnipeg Parks rose which has outstanding deep-pink to rosy-red flowers. She also loves water lilies. Last year she bought a pink water lily from Lindenberg Seeds in Brandon and plans to paint it this year.

Austin, 50, has a science degree as well as design degree from the Alberta University of the Arts where she majored in photography. “I worked as a graphic designer and freelance photographer for about 20 years.”

But when the pandemic came along, Austin decided she needed a change. “I started painting again and creating designs.” Austin’s artistic skills combined with her training as a graphic designer served as the catalyst for transitioning into a new career as a surface pattern designer.

As a surface pattern designer, Austin creates artwork for a wide range of surfaces including wallpaper and fabrics as well as products as diverse as stationery.

Sense of tranquility

Austin’s flower-themed art inspires a sense of tranquility. “That’s my personal style,” she says. “I like things to be calm and peaceful. Watercolour as a medium enables me to invoke that sense of calmness easier than other mediums like acrylic or oil. There is a lightness with watercolour.”

When Austin creates her art, she likes to choose flowers and patterns she sees in nature. “Living in a cold climate, we only see flowers outside for a short time of the year. I like to brighten up my indoors with beautiful florals.”

Austin is drawn to unique shapes and colours and takes photographs of flowers wherever she goes. “I also take photos of the unusual textures of leaves and mosses,” she says.

Austin is West Coast Walls’ first Canadian artist collaborator. West Coast Walls (westcoastwalls.ca) is a Canadian wallpaper and decal company, owned by a father-daughter duo. Blaine Maryniuk, based in Abbotsford, B.C., oversees production operations and his daughter McKinley MacIntosh, who lives in Australia, leads curative creation. All the company’s products are made and printed in Canada and shipped worldwide.

Maryniuk is originally from Manitoba. He grew up in Ethelbert, a small community north of Dauphin. “I have family members who live in Winnipeg, so I visit often,” he says.

Founded in 2019, Maryniuk says West Coast Walls’ business grew exponentially during the pandemic. “Wallpaper as a commodity continues to grow worldwide. In Canada alone, an annual growth rate of three to five per cent is projected through 2028.

Growing popularity

“Botanical and nature-based wallpaper patterns have been one of our strongest categories. Forest scenes, palm leaves, ferns are popular — people want to connect with nature. Michelle Austin’s designs are a customer favourite because they bring the garden indoors and make your space feel warm and inviting.”

Maryniuk says the uniqueness of Austin’s artwork is one of the reasons for its popularity. “People can’t find it elsewhere. Interior designers are looking for original, handcrafted designs, not AI-driven art. Now, that said, even handcrafted product needs to be digitized to make it printable but it’s the original art that’s important.”

West Coast Walls does not carry inventory. “Our print-on-demand model means zero overproduction. Every order is made to specifications, eliminating the waste that comes with mass manufacturing.” The company also offers a sustainable paper-based wallpaper substrate.

But what would a botanical or nature-based wallpaper look like in your bathroom, living room, bedroom or office?

“We offer visualizer technology,” says Maryniuk. “Pick out the pattern you like, take a picture of your room and our visualizer will show you how it would look.”

In addition to licensing her artwork for wallpaper, Austin’s newest collaboration is with Jaftex Corporation, a fourth-generation fabric manufacturer that started in 1930. Based in New York, Jaftex is well-known for its high-quality fabrics prized by quilters. Austin has extensive sewing experience. “Growing up I used to sew and quilt with my mom.”

Austin’s collection of fabrics was released last October, and she expects it to be in Canadian stores by the end of June. “I have created 22 different designs for my first collection. Most of the designs feature flowers. My collection of fabrics would work well together with the designs I create for wallpaper,” says Austin.

For everyday decorating ideas on how you can beautify your home with hand-painted watercolours and surface designs inspired by the garden, visit michelleaustin.ca.

colleenizacharias@gmail.com