Hey Kate, thanks for taking the time to chat with me! The Kinga Csilla team is thrilled to be partnering with you again after the immense success of our first collaboration last year. As we dive into our second collaboration for Kinga's Delilah collection, we’re excited to get to know you a little better and share your story with our audience.
Can you share your journey to becoming an artist? Was painting always a part of your life, or did you discover it later on?
Thanks for having me, Kinga has such a special place in my heart and I’m so excited to be collaborating again!
I’ve always painted. I've always made things, collected things, and crafted things. Never in my wildest dreams did I think it would one day become my full-time gig! I started painting a little on the side while working with my two young kids at home and gradually began sharing my work online around 2018. As my confidence in sharing grew, I painted more and found so much joy in every part of the process. Painting colourful, abstract rainbow-scapes helps calm my very overactive and anxious mind. It’s been my therapy, my joy, and very fortunately, my livelihood.
What is your creative process like when working on a new piece? How do you go from initial inspiration to the final artwork?
If I do have any inspiration to work off, which I usually don’t, it never goes to plan. My process is a bit like; light some incense, put on some music (super loud), grab a brush out of a jar that probably hasn’t been washed properly from the time before, and just start to work. I’m not fussy, I’m not neat, and I have no plan. I open paints as I see them and as I feel I need them. I’m incredibly loose, messy, and free. I work across the canvas while I dance hard and actually have very little control over the end result as I’m sort of just making it up as I go. When I feel like I’m overthinking it, I take a step back and leave it alone. I never have any idea how a painting will look when it’s finished; I just layer, work, and play until I fall in love with it.
Could you walk us through a typical day in your life? How do you balance your time between creating art and managing other aspects of your career and life?
Every day is so different! I wish I could say that being a full-time artist means I roll into a studio and paint all day, every day, but the reality, like so many small businesses, is that there are a hundred things to do and never enough time.
I wake up (hooray!) and get my kiddos off to school, then usually take some time to have a coffee and tick through my admin—emails, DMs, orders to catch up on. I write myself a list of the day to get through. I pack orders that need to get to the post office, and if I’m lucky, I can get to the studio!
If I’m working on a new collection, I spend a lot of time painting, but between collections, it’s a lot of making content, digital design work, collaborations, website stuff, etc. It’s a one-woman show with 54 roles to fill! I find myself on my iPad a lot, still doing creative work, but more that I can do from home. The day goes by in a blink, and I hop off to get my babes home and continue on the mum life hustle. I generally end my day with a tea and a movie with my amazing partner, Nick.
Reflecting on our previous collaboration, how did that success influence your approach to this second partnership? What inspired the artwork featured in the Delilah collection?
Collaborating with Kinga is a dream come true. Our first collaboration from last year was such an amazing experience for me as a long-time KC wearer and fan girl, so I had no doubt that there would be more magic to make. Kinga is a brand that I truly admire. The creativity, inclusivity, brand values, and ethics, and of course, beautiful designs, are second to none, and I’m forever grateful to be able to do this together!
The artwork used in our recent collaboration ‘Loverboy’ was a painting from my ‘Pretty Cool’ collection that I released during COVID and has since been one of our best-selling prints. This artwork features all of the colours I love to use, some really beautifully contrasting techniques and textures, and has such a happy, cool feel to it. To be honest, I painted it very late at night after a bottle of Pinot, and it really just danced its way onto the canvas!
I have to say, Kate Eliza and Kinga Csilla are a perfect pairing. What does it mean to you to see your artwork transformed into wearable pieces of art? How do you feel fashion and art intersect and influence each other?
Fashion is actually a huge part of who I am as a person and an artist. It’s a way I’ve expressed myself for a very long time, wearing my personality on the outside of my body, and something that brings me real joy. So to see my art transformed into wearable pieces feels like a massive achievement and something I’ve always dreamed of.
Fashion and art are similar in so many ways—both being completely subjective. One person’s taste will be completely different from another’s based on their own personal experiences, feelings, and influences. We can’t cater to everyone, which is why, for me personally, I create for myself, for my love of painting, and just hope someone will connect with it!
What advice would you give to artists or creatives who are struggling to find success? What insights or strategies have helped you along your own journey?
Oh man, it’s hard! It’s hard to take the thing you love, the thing that brings you joy, the thing that people see as your “hobby,” and make it your everyday. Just paint—paint, paint, paint! You’ll find a flow and a style that feels like yours, you’ll find that little pocket you fit into with your name on it, and then try to get comfortable sharing with the world. I know it can be daunting and intimidating, but the world wants to see your art! Show up, be open, keep LEARNING, and embrace every opportunity ♡︎
Rapid Fire Questions
- Dream travel destination: Japan! Hopefully next year
- Can’t go a day without: Moisturiser
- Death row meal: Double cheeseburger, baby
- Guilty pleasure: Rom-coms—I just loveee LOVE
- Current mantra/quote you live by: Be kind, it’s cool.
You can check out Kate’s incredible art here & follow her here
Shop the Kinga Csilla x Kate Eliza collaboration pieces here
