Spring brings the promise of warmer days and newfound energy. Rich browns, soft creams, dusty pinks and watery blues reflect the coastal rhythms that shape the work of artist Lisa Billing (Ngai Te Rangi, Ngati Ranginui). Her celebration of island domestic life, tropical florals, abundant bowls of fruit, hand painted signs and tonal, layered textures, complements our breezy fabrics in a story of sun washed colour.

Lisa lives and works in the coastal town of Waihi Beach, in the Bay of Plenty, Aotearoa. She's influenced by island culture and landscape, and uses her work to celebrate domestic island life: vases of tropical flowers, abundant fruit bowls, handmade signage and block printed textiles, layered and textured in a tonal, earthy palette.

For this collection, we translated a curated selection of Lisa's artwork, alongside a motif she painted especially for Nancybird and used as a repeat across several styles. Her main artwork features across our Island Still Life styles, with Green Bananas and Lemons drawn from one of her block print series.

We caught up with Lisa to talk about how she found her way to painting, a day in her studio, and what island life means to her.

I've always been creative and experimented with different art forms while growing up, with pottery being a particular focus for me beforehand. When I got back into painting, I found it gave me a new way to express my thoughts and ideas that just felt right. Holding my first solo exhibition was a pivotal moment in my art career. I had no experience even running an event but I had a wonderful community to work alongside and friendships to lean on to bring it all together. I think it just made me realise I have the confidence to pursue anything and not to wait until you think its perfect before making a start. It accelerated my drive to continue my art career.

I always start with admin which consist of the usual emails, social media content and invoicing. All the somewhat mundane but essential parts. I often have more than one painting to work on so when I come into my studio I can see which piece I'm vibing with that day and I'll paint while listening to a podcast or music. I have open paint tubes and pots everywhere and love to mix paint on the lids instead of a big palette. I often switch between paintings throughout the day and take plenty of breaks to sit in the sun or pat my dog. My studio days seem to finish quickly, then I pick my three daughters up from school.

I was inspired by block-printed fabrics and the use of bold shapes and patterns. I love exploring different forms of art and bringing those details into my own work, whether they're subtle or a little more bold.

I love celebrating the simple, everyday moments through my still life pieces. I'm drawn to everyday things like fruit that might otherwise be overlooked, celebrating their place within our homes and daily lives. I live in a coastal town and I feel like being by the beach is very much home for me. Travelling to the islands strengthens that connection, I love the sun and a slower pace of living!

This was the first mini series where I experimented with a bolder contrast in my palette, as I had previously been working with softer tones. I enjoyed the challenge of exploring different patterns and giving each vase or fruit bowl its own unique take.

I'm currently working on a new series exploring the companionship between people and animals, which has been a lot of fun as I don't often paint animals (but something I have a strong connection to). I'm currently looking for a larger studio space where I can expand my practice and share a creative environment with others. I'm hoping to have that in place before summer.”






Thank you, Lisa, for sharing your work and your world with our artist-loving community.