meet our cover artist, camille shu

Tell us a bit about yourself, please. Hi! I’m Camille and I live in Portland, Oregon. For the past eight years I’ve been working part-time as an artist and part-time in the horticultural industry, as a florist, farmer, nursery worker and gardener. My time working outside with plants informs and inspires my art, and helps me appreciate the cosiness of my studio. It’s a nice balance. What media have you used to create this beautiful artwork? This painting was done in gouache, which is really the only medium I use when it comes to painting. I’m a diehard Holbein Acryla Gouache fan! Their colour palettes are spot-on. How would you describe your style of art? Colourful, simple, but funky. Where do you find inspiration? Plants! The fruit I’m eating for lunch, the shrub that’s in bloom in my yard, or maybe Google Images on a cold, rainy day. Whatever the source, my work is always about bringing attention and appreciation to the things that surround us in the natural world. Do you have a favourite fruit? A truly difficult question. My top three are watermelon (the epitome of summer deliciousness with a colour that’s hard to come by in other fruits), passionfruit (for the flavour alone) and grapefruit (in the depths of our winters, citrus comes to the rescue with that bright, sweet, fruity energy). Any you can’t stand? I’d say the only fruit I don’t really like is a persimmon, but I’m holding out hope that I just haven’t had a perfectly ripe experience. Favourite way to look after yourself? Long walks with my chihuahua, Piña, and trashy reality TV (currently, Love Island). What are you working on at the moment? Mostly the business and marketing side of things, but my next painting will be focused on camellia flowers, which will be blooming in a few months. Where can we see more of your stuff? Online at camilleshu.com or on Instagram at @camille.shu.