A Day In The Life Of Natalie Ryan.

Working from a farmhouse near Bendigo in country Victoria, this textile artist indulges her passion for botanicals daily.

As a young girl, Natalie Ryan was always drawing or picking bush flowers. When she was five, her nan gave her a book of Australian wildflowers, a gift she treasures still. Then, in primary school, she saw an exhibition of Beatrix Potter’s early nature studies. “Her drawings of acorns and leaves were the most beautiful things I’d ever seen,” says Natalie. It was a fateful introduction to botanical drawing, the start of a lifelong passion.

After studying textile design at RMIT, Natalie worked for leading design studios in Sydney, London and Melbourne before deciding in 2011 to follow her heart, devising a range of textiles and homewares featuring watercolour depictions of Australian flora and fauna. She operates Meander Designs from a farmhouse near Bendigo, mixing her textile designs with freelance projects commissioned by people around the globe.

“I LOVE WORKING IN WATER COLOURS. THE GRADATIONS OF COLOUR AND THE PROPERTIES OF THE PIGMENTS ARE QUITE MAGICAL .” Natalie Ryan

8am MARILYN’S WILDFLOWERS, MANDURANG

One of Natalie’s favourite sources of inspiration is the wildflower farm owned by native plant specialist and plantswoman, Marilyn Sprague, (@marilynswildflowers) who lives nearby and is pictured with Natalie above, far right. “Marilyn’s garden is set in the local bush and there’s always something in bloom,” says Natalie. “She has so many amazing Australian natives and I always come away from here with a bunch of flowers and foliage to draw and paint, along with lots of new botanical knowledge.” The garden contains many beauties from wild rose ( Diplolaena grandiflora), above, to “tiny, almost alien-like plants in hot pink and blue,” says Natalie. An immersion into this wild wonderland, accompanied by Marilyn’s expert commentary, is all the stimulus Natalie requires to spark a new design. She draws her designs from life – never photographs – and works quickly, using watercolour pencils and paints, and gouache. “My style of drawing is not strictly botanical, it’s much looser, I work fast,” she says. “With watercolours, you never know what result you’ll get. Some pigments stand out, others recede. It’s like experimenting with recipes.”

10am BENDIGO ART GALLERY

“I adore textiles and native plants in equal measure,” says Natalie. Lucky for her, the Bendigo Art Gallery is renowned for its fashion and design exhibitions and she heads there often for textile-related inspiration. On this occasion, her sights were on the Tudors to Windsors exhibition, a collection of exquisitely detailed, historic portraits, including this one of Queen Elizabeth 1 by Marcus Geerhaerts the Younger, circa 1592. “I love looking at the way the textiles are depicted and the colour palettes they used,” she says. “The history of textiles is a passion of mine and I can’t go past a bookstore without venturing into the fashion and textiles sections. I’ve always been fascinated by textiles from around the world – the colours, the textures and the possibilities.”

12pm EXHIBITION PLANNING

Natalie meets with fellow local artist Paula Zetlein to discuss a collaborative exhibition focused on Australian natives. “We have vastly different styles: Paula does exquisite black and white pen drawings while mine are colourful depictions, but they come together nicely.”

The show is scheduled for early 2020, at a Bendigo venue to be confirmed.

3pm-late FARMHOUSE, COLBINABBIN

Natalie lives and works in a farmhouse built by her great-grandparents. Her light-filled home studio overlooks an old garden; guinea fowl and chickens wander by as she works. Freshly picked foliage (right) is a constant muse for Natalie as evident in her Native Garden linen tea towel.

HOME STUDIO, COLBINABBIN

Sprigs of wildflowers lie everywhere in Natalie’s studio, the subjects of future designs. Her product range includes tea towels, cushions, stationery and fine art prints including Kangaroo Paw and Charcoal Banksia Leaves (above). “I’m slowly adding new products,” she says. She juggles this with a diverse array of freelance design projects, from designing wine labels to wall murals. Natalie’s cushions are printed and made in Melbourne from beautiful Belgian linen. Pictured above are recent designs (from left) Gathered Gumleaves, Wildflower Garden and Charcoal Banksia Leaves. “It’s exciting how many products I can get made locally,” she says. “All my manufacturers are small businesses. We’re all supportive of each other. It’s a nice circle.” “I’m slowly turning my garden over to Australian natives, rather than the classic cottage plants previously planted here,” says Natalie of the plot at her property, which is still a working farm. “We’ve just had some good rain – hopefully that means some lovely wildflowers will appear soon.” Meander Designs; www.meanderdesigns.com.au or on instagram @meander_natalie_ryan