Photography: Brooke Holm. Styling: Marsha Galemac
MAIREAD MURPHY ILLUSTRATION Characters are brought to life in Mairead Murphy’s detailed pencil work in her new My Great and Small Wallpaper range Tell us a bit about your artwork? Beautifully illustrated story books were such a huge part of my childhood and I think where I first fell in love with illustration. Generally my work tends to be based on characters and the stories around them. My Great & Small wallpaper range uses groups of different characters from different settings for example creatures from the forest or under the sea. Each hand drawn character has been carefully stylised to fit into its position in the pattern, intertwining with the shapes of its friends. Can you tell us about yourself and your background? I come from a background in Interior Architecture and have been working mostly on large scale projects for the last 10 years or so. A couple of years ago I launched my own design practice, Maike Design Studio which has also allowed
me to indulge in my interest in Illustration. The wallpaper range has really been a combination of my love of interiors and my love of illustration. What sparked you to begin your own business? I have always loved drawing. Once I started studying and then working, my more illustrative drawing dropped away as I became busier. Illustration had always been something that I had imagined I’d do one day but there never seemed to be time. So I just decided to start putting time aside for it, and began to draw again. Starting Mairead Murphy Illustration was quite overwhelming. I was so nervous about putting my illustrations out into the world. It was so different to any work I had done previously and in a field where I had no experience and no contacts. But I’m glad I did and it has been an amazing adventure ever since! continued on next page >