MOMENTS of JOY

Sue Pat's whimsical stationery cleverly captures the wonders of Christmas

- Bryony Ammonds

Studio Sue's tagline is to "create moments of joy". One glimpse at Aucklandbased artist Sue Pat's whimsical illustrations of animals, botanicals or sweet Christmas imagery and the sense of delight leaps off the page. Now on her 10th stationery collection, Sue's desire to share and create joy is showing no signs of slowing down.

How did you get into illustration?

As a child, I was always drawing and creating. One of my early memories is painting a picture of my mum in her brown dress surrounded by flowers at kindergarten.

I remember all the teachers crowding around to look at my artwork and showing my mum when she picked me up. When I discovered what a graphic designer was at intermediate school, I knew straight away that's what I wanted to be. I studied graphic design at Auckland University of Technology, and while I majored in design in my final year, my work always incorporated illustration.

When and why did you start Studio Sue?

Once I graduated, I had a career as a graphic designer working in various design and advertising agencies. While I loved designing for clients in the commercial world, I missed illustrating. I felt that my sense of fulfilment was incomplete without illustration. Planning my wedding sparked my creativity. I thoroughly enjoyed designing all the little details, particularly our invitation, as it gave me the opportunity to illustrate. I ambitiously illustrated a 16-page book sharing our story and inviting our guests to be part of our next chapter. Planning our wedding encouraged me to pursue my passion for illustration. It also ignited the idea of starting my own business, although I was initially unsure about what I wanted to create. When I eventually considered stationery, it felt like the perfect fit.