Arty fashion pieces have Pip wearing the acclaim
T O W N S V I L L E a r t i s t - turned- designer Pip Earl had always dreamt of art and colour long before she became successful.
Pip is the inspiration behind local fashion label, Pipsilk, which features her silk paintings on everything from dresses to cushions and more.
Pip began her art career in 1999, selling one- of- a- kind artworks at the Townsville Cotters Market. For five years she painted pictures of Australian animals and landscapes and sold more than 5000 pieces.
In 2005, she took a break from art which ended up lasting 10 years. But in 2015 she picked up a paintbrush again and created a piece for a friend.
Her friend uploaded a photo of it to Facebook and this stirred something deep within Pip. She began painting again but decided not to take a traditional approach.
“Instead of guarding where the paint can go, I began to guide it with a hairdryer to stop the flow of the paint,” Pip said.
Not only was she teaching herself to paint once again, she was creating new ways to create pieces of art.
“It was an unusual concept and I felt rewarded using a technique that I had invented,” she said.
Pip creates unique artwork inspired by everyday things.
“Where we live is a massive inspiration. We have this beautiful, lush tropical flora and fauna,” she said.
“Sometimes I will sit by the pool and become inspired by things as simple as how the light hits the leaves.”
Pip’s passion for life and Townsville is reflected in her pieces. Many of her best- selling artworks feature photos taken of local scenery such as the local brewery, merged with one of her many silk paintings.
However, where she lives is not her only inspiration.
Her line also features horses and other farm themes.
“I grew up on a farm; I’m a farmer’s daughter,” she said.
Her business of transforming her art into clothes did not begin until the discovery of the website, Redbubble.
Redbubble is a manufacturing company that prints pictures and art on to a large range of products.
Pip loves seeing people wearing her creations. She was at The Ville’s Quarterdeck recently when she saw a woman wearing one of her lime green and white dresses.
“The sheer thrill of seeing your art when you are out to dinner and someone walks in, wearing something you created, nothing beats it,” she said.
Pip’s work is popular throughout the Townsville region and beyond.
While Pip was away in Melbourne at the National Gallery of Art for a Dior exhibit, she was approached by a woman who said she loved the top Pip was wearing.
Pip told her it was one of her own and sold it to the woman on the spot.
Pip dreams of expanding her business one day.
“I have big dreams … I wish I could have my own shop with a seamstress and an inbuilt studio,” she said.
She now promotes her designs at the Quayside Terminal cruise ship markets and is enjoying great success with international clients.
Pip’s artwork and clothing are available through her website. For inquiries message pipearl77@ gmail. com