We sat down with Sora and Brittany to ask about this creative partnership and the reasons they have chosen to share their skills.
1. It seems the two of you love collaborating. When did you first meet?
Brittany: We met at Born and Thread T-shirt printing. Sora reached out when she was looking for a job in the industry after moving over from New Zealand. We still thank Dan at Born and Thread for bringing us together.
Sora: We’re pretty inseparable now, working at Ink & Spindle, and now starting our screen printing workshops together.
2. What is it you love about the other’s work?
Sora: I am always in awe of Brit’s work. She has such an eye for colour, composition and movement in her work. There’s a sense of real spiritual connection when you look at her art. It’s like she just whips these masterpieces out of thin air.
Brittany: I love Sora’s unique way of interpreting her surroundings through illustrative design. She is truly talented, a natural artist with an incredible eye for detail and balance in her work. She can pull off realistic paintings, as well as create the most beautiful abstract designs.
3. What is it the two of you love most about screen printing?
Sora: I love bringing my ideas and designs into something tactile. There’s just something so therapeutic and beautiful with the hand-printing process of screen printing. It’s like magic.
Brittany: I agree with Sora.
4. What inspires you in your work?
Brittany: I am inspired by what I see in my surroundings, in nature mostly, looking up close at detail in plants, their shapes, colours, and even their aura. My goal is to create pieces that will make anyone feel a sense of peace, and at home.
Sora: I am constantly inspired by the beauty in the unique quirkiness of the in-between. I love creating work that ignites people’s childish curiosity and creates a sense of wonder.
5. Is this the first time you have taught these workshops? What first inspired you to do this?
Sora: This is our first time! We had a lot of people come through Ink & Spindle asking if we ran workshops and we thought we could take on the challenge! It is such a rewarding experience teaching people this art form. We also got a lot of guidance from Ash and Holly from Print Safari who did screen printing workshops at Ink & Spindle before us.
Brittany: The opportunity got handed to us really, and we couldn’t say no, it was just too much of a great opportunity! We have so much fun doing it as well, we still can’t believe we get to call it a job!
6. What has Ink & Spindle done for your creative practice?
Brittany: Lara and Caitlin from Ink & Spindle have given us the means and the opportunities to soar in our own businesses. They have been so supportive and helpful in any way they can. We have our own little studio/retail space out the back, meaning we are also able to display our own textiles and paintings. We can’t thank them enough for encouraging us to follow our dreams!
Sora: We would not be here without them!
7. How do you hope that participants will feel when they leave these workshops and what do you hope they will gain from attending them?
Sora: We absolutely love what we do, and we hope that they come away excited and passionate about screen printing too! It may seem daunting to some people and unachievable, seeing the scale that Ink & Spindle is at, but when the participants start printing, they realise it’s not so scary.
Brittany: We hope (and have had feedback) that our participants leave feeling joyous and proud of what they have created. It’s all about fun and learning a new skill that most people don’t know anything about. Not only do they get to get a bit messy, playful and creative, but they can express themselves and take home something meaningful that they have enjoyed making, and can keep forever!
Screen Printing Workshop
12 November
Ink & Spindle – upstairs in Sacred Heart
Book now