Trésor, the first collection of artwork by Souk & Co., is another way for us to share all that we treasure about our beloved Maroc. The blush walls, arched doors, desert sands and serene pools, offer endless inspiration and joy. This exclusive collection captures special moments - the belly laughs, alfresco dinners, lazy afternoons by the pool, sunset camel treks, and days spent diving into the souks.

What is your artistic background?

Outside of school, my first introduction to any artistic practice was life drawing classes. As a mother myself now, I’m not sure what my mum was thinking as she dropped her teenage daughter off to draw naked people each week, but she knew I loved to express myself visually, and sought out a class where I could develop my skill set.

After school I completed 4 years at the College of Fine Arts, studying a bachelor of Design. I chose Design over Fine Arts with the assumption that it would bring more financial stability. I was grateful that my course not only covered multiple majors (I chose in Graphics, Object and Spacial Design), but also covered drawing, painting, and textile design.

At the end of my degree I took at 14 week internship at Oneteaspoon. I gradually made my way from the warehouse into the design room and ended up staying on as Design assistant. Here I found my love for placement and yardage prints. I left Oneteaspoon, keeping them as a freelance client, and collected more work with Tigerlily, The Cassette Society, Lucky 13, Bras n Things, Bendon and other fashion brands. As the years went on I went back and forth between fashion print work and traditional marketing graphic design for online retailers.

I’ve always loved working on more than one project at once, for more than one brand at once. I love the variety, especially when I can incorporate traditional hand made art into digital and print design. It’s no wonder Souk & Co. has been my dream client for so many years… Sally really allows me to do it all. I feel so lucky to have found a job which gives me endless inspiration, sparking a curiosity into a culture and traditional art making processes that just weren’t on my radar until I met Sal and later, Hassan.

How did Trésor come about?

A collection of artwork is just one box ticked in a long list of projects that Sally and I have talked about for a long time. Sally always envisioned Souk & Co. to be multi-faceted company, but with Travel going so strong for the past few years there was never enough time for everything to happen at once. Trésor is a combination of timing, a want to continue to share Morocco with our clients, and Sally’s ability to spark and nurture the passion in everybody.

How did you chose your palette and subject matter?

Morocco is undeniably rich in colour, texture, design and energy. That very special North African light does highlight some of the most vivid colours, but it was the chalky nature of the Medina walls and the desert sands, offset by beautifully lush blues and greens that we wanted to portray in our first collection.

In terms of subject matter - it wasn’t a question of where to start but where to stop! One look at Sal’s photos (check out the insta feed here) and you’ll know what I’m talking about. Moroccan doors, blush walls, seaside towns, desert nights, bustling souks, sunset dinners, swims in secluded pools… the list is endless. I had to settle on a sampling of different subject matter that is a nod to treasured memories from my travels with Sally last year, and to the exciting adventures and exploring ahead.

What is your process?

I love working across multiple mediums. We went back and forth between acrylic on canvas, watercolour, pen, oil pastels and computer drawn art. In the end we were drawn to our watercolour look, particularly because of its beautifully imperfect nature - perfect for depicting blush medina walls, hand glazed pottery and woven rugs. Etching back with hand drawing allowed me to subtly give a mixed media feel when I felt that I needed a little more depth - without distracting too much from the importance of colour and texture.

What’s next?

I could paint about Morocco all day, every day… I hope there will be more collections to share. Sally has always talked of a painting retreat in Morocco and for me that would be a dream come true… to get back over there, to immerse myself once more in the endless inspiration and magic and to dedicate some time to focus on a new collection.