Artist from across the ditch – welcome Jasmine Kroeze
It's been a little while coming but our Featured Artist for February is the extremely talented Jasmine Kroeze. Jasmine came to our attention through our artist collaboration portal and her earthy colour palette and large scale designs really spoke to our Material Difference ethos.
An artist and textile designer based in Tauranga, New Zealand, we got to know Jasmine recently through our Q&A session. Here's what we learned.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do!
I'm Jasmine Kroeze, an artist and all round mess maker! I paint original artworks and large scale murals. My background is in fashion and I still adore creating digital art in the form of textiles, surface patterns and art prints.
Where does your inspiration come from?
Where does your inspiration come from?Nature is my ultimate inspiration. Everything from my colour palettes to the elements within each of my designs. I'm grateful to live a few streets back from the beach and if I'm ever feeling a bit stuck, a swim in the ocean or stroll along the beach usually pulls me through!
What motivates you to pursue your creative passion?
We have a young family (Ivy is 3 and I'm due in March 2022 with my second) and I was feeling a bit like I had lost myself. I wanted a way to continue to be creative, but I'm an introvert living in a house full of extroverts so for me to surround myself with people at a job just didn't make sense.
Last year I began to explore painting after having painted a couple of murals and discovered I adored being able to paint original artworks from my garage at home.
It gave me so much flexibility and I pitched my first few originals to an incredible gallery in Auckland, Endemic World. They took on my first 6 paintings, and I sold one the very first weekend and I thought, "Wow, I can really do this!".
Now I've designed my business to run in a way that works for my strengths and personality. My home studio is my happy place, it's calm and peaceful and where I go to re-energize.
What are the top three things, or 'rules' you choose to live by?
Flexibility - it's really important to me to have flexibility in all areas of my life, especially with kids!
Peace - listen to your gut, be a nice human
Empathy - I like to think about things from other people's perspectives.
Everyone has a lot going on and it's easier to be nice and have a bit of grace if you put yourself in someone else's shoes.
What is the one thing you cannot wait to have in your very own fabric?
Ohhhh some Home Decor pieces, I get such a kick out of having my work in my home!
To buy Jasmine's amazing designs head to the Featured Artists collection on our website. Jasmine's designs are named with "JKA" in the title.