It is the clarity of Alex Morgan’s designs that I love. They are fresh and sharp, with bright, clear colours, and often contrasted against grey. There is detail, but not fussiness, and a deliberateness about her work that somehow still manages to be playful.

 

spellstone – dickinsonia rex

 

Alex, aka Spellstone, has always made patterns and loved drawing. “I cannot remember a time when I didn’t draw, even as a small child I made patterns all the time. I decided I wanted to be an artist when I was four years old, so I think it’s always been part of who I am rather than just something that I do.”

After graduating in Graphic Design and Photography, she started her creative career working as a scientific illustrator at the University of Oxford. She said it was a fantastic experience, as she got to use both drawing and photography skills in an applied setting. It was also a bit fun. “I kept a large green inflatable frog in my studio to entertain scientists while they had their photograph taken; it helped to break the ice a little. I enjoyed the discipline of working in a scientific environment but I found it important to balance that against creative freedom.”

 

spellstone – pom pom d’or

 

“Spellstone was started in the late 90s but the business really didn’t move forward until 2003 after my daughter was born. I wanted to stay at home with her and not have to go out to work and now I am lucky enough to be able to use my skills to work from home doing something that I love and be a Mum at the same time.”

 

spellstone – aztec armor

 

spellstone – discontinuous line

 

As well as designing fabric on Spoonflower, Alex also designs henna patterns based on traditional henna art, to be used as embellishments on the insanely gorgeous Luna Guitars. When the company first approached her she was thrilled, and after several collaborations she says “It’s an amazing partnership that brings me very much happiness.” [You can find more of her work for Luna Guitars here.]

She first became interested in the art of henna after viewing a photograph of a North African woman with her hands hennaed. “I found the idea of marking hands very powerful, I was fascinated and instantly hooked! …Patterns can connect directly with the brain at an emotional level and I like that directness and simplicity in the art form. Humans have always been attracted to patterns and mark making. I think this is fundamental to us all, whatever vocabulary we use, reaching across continents, cultures and time.”

 

spellstone – jack sprat

 

When I asked what her worst experience as an artist was, she replied, “Don’t have bad experiences, learn from the unexpected and move forward! I really believe you learn the most and gain a lot as a creative person from the things that do not go quite to plan. For me working with a natural medium like henna dye forces you to embrace the unexpected. It’s very liberating.”

And her best piece of advice? “The only way to fail is not to try.”

You can find more of Spellstone’s work on Spoonflower here, and on her own website here.

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With thanks to Alex for sharing her words and images here.