Ella Rathbone’s studio is full of laughter and earthy tones
Ella has had quite the creative journey, but it wasn’t until she moved back to her seaside hometown of Coffs Harbour that she found her painting momentum.
Hello, who are you?
My name is Ella Rathbone. I’m 29-years-old and I live in a small town on the north coast of New South Wales, Australia, with my husband Brad and my two kids, Cove and Kiko.
You have had quite the creative journey tell me about it?
I had worked as a barista and in hospitality roles ever since I was 16. When I was 22 I decided that I needed something else that would really fulfil me and make me excited to get up in the morning.
I hadn’t been to university and I didn’t have any desire to, so I decided that I would try something creative as I knew I had always been great at that. I stumbled upon lettering through Instagram and I quickly became obsessed with getting good at it. I started a business called ‘You’re My Type’ soon after this and I began working for cafés doing their signage, brides for the wedding days and doing random custom lettering jobs. I worked my way up to doing my business full-time and it saw me work for companies such as Myer and Westfield, which was so fun!
After I had my kids I decided I would like to paint and create a new challenge for myself as I felt that I had gone as far as I wanted to with lettering – I had always wanted to be an abstract artist. So I decided I would set up on my family’s dinner table or on the balcony of my small apartment and paint whenever I could. I became obsessed but I didn’t have much room and putting everything back all the time became a mood killer and then Covid, and then lockdown etcetera, etcetera.
It wasn’t until I moved to my hometown on the beach that I really got things moving. I had so much room to set up a studio and paint that I really found my flow and passion for it again. I paint in my studio in between laughing with my babies and cuddling them and it’s the best.
Your works are so bright and beautiful with earthy tones. What inspires this?
My first ever artwork was called ‘Desert Wanderer’ and it was inspired by a period in my life where I felt there was no growth, it was very dry and I was hopelessly lost. It reminded me of the desert so my colour theme stemmed from this. When I came through that desert place I could see the beauty and my paintings are all a reflection of this.
Tell me about your studio. Where does all your painting happen?
It happens in my garage that is connected to the house through the living room. It actually works really well because if I’m feeling a creative pull I can do it between making a stir-fry, or my toddler’s meltdowns. I try to paint everyday even if it’s just one thing on a canvas. I am so grateful for the space that I can be messy in because I have never had that before.
What’s your favourite thing about painting?
That I never know how it’s going to turn out. I don’t ever have a plan, I just go in and paint what I feel that day. I know when a painting is done when I’m like “yeah cool, I’d buy that,” haha.
What puts you in the mood to create?
A few things depending on what I need... Being in nature, having a break when I’m not feeling the flow, seeing another artist crushing it, mixing paints, laughing with my friends, op-shopping, journalling, camping trips, buying new paints/supplies.
Coffs Harbour, NSW, Australia
