One glimpse at the colourful Instagram feed that Kim Lawrence has curated and you’ll be gasping with glee at the nostalgia. Her artworks are inspired by Kiwi food and classic children’s books, such as Snifters, Tangy Fruits, dollhouses and Judy Blume novels. The Motueka-based creative has acquired a following eager to consume her vibrant art – her rug-tufted loaf of Vogel’s “went a tiny bit viral on Trade Me”.
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Tell us about your creative journey.
I’ve always been super creative. I studied design and art history at university and have dabbled in many creative industries including floristry, wedding invitation design, bridal accessory design and more. I’m quite addicted to DIY and love completing a good room makeover in my house.
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How did you start with punch needle embroidery and rug tufting?
I discovered punch needle as a craft on Instagram. I couldn’t find any punch needle supplies in New Zealand, so I started sourcing supplies from overseas and taught myself with help from YouTube. It looks very easy but requires specific materials and quite a bit of practise to perfect. I fell in love with it instantly. It’s like colouring in with yarn – so satisfying and so sculptural. The next natural step was to move up to a rug-tufting gun (like professional rug makers use), which meant I could create even larger scale artworks in a quicker time and a reason to buy even more yarn.
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You’re a librarian by day. Do you ever find yourself inspired by that?
Books and crafts are my biggest passions (as well as coffee). I do find books very inspiring. Whether it is the content of a book like Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic about living your best creative life or the illustration on Florence Given’s Women Living Deliciously, I’m always coming home with snippets of inspiration. I love vintage book covers and recently completed an embroidered artwork of the original cover of Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume, which was accepted into Changing Threads 2024 exhibition. Interpretations of book covers is definitely an artistic idea I would love to explore.
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You create a lot of delicious-looking art based on food products. Why do you find yourself gravitating towards that?
It is hard to pinpoint exactly but it seems my love of pop art, retro packaging, Kiwiana and kitsch somehow culminates in me producing food. I love working with solid colours, sharp outlines and textures. I love the nostalgia it evokes in both myself and the viewer.
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Does your colourful art reflect your everyday life? Is your home just as vibrant?
Absolutely. I painted the exterior of my art deco house candy pink about four years ago and the interior is filled with lots of gorgeous gelato pastels like mint, strawberry and cream. It’s a bit Palm Springs, a bit mid-century and a bit giant dollhouse. I’m constantly changing and adding colour.
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How long does it take to create one of your pieces?
A rug-tufted piece can take up to 40 hours. It is quite a long process from designing and drawing to transferring the mirror image, then tufting. And I spend many hours cutting and trimming the artwork so it looks it’s best.
Do you have a favourite piece you’ve ever made?
Always a tricky question. I do have real soft spots for the giant jar of Vegemite and the hand-embroidered Vogel’s I have just completed. That took about 300 hours and has each individual grain stitched. I am super proud that I actually finished that one.
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How do you maintain your creativity without falling into a slump?
I have to say slumps are never an issue for me. I have quite the opposite problem in that I am inundated with endless ideas but not enough hours in the week to bring them to life. Not a bad problem to have really.
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Are there any projects you’d really like to tackle?
Always. Artistically I have been desperate to make a giant 3D 1950s TV dinner, complete with packaging and pull-out segmented food tray. In my general creative DIY arena, the next big project (after selling the pink house earlier this year) will be the hunt for the next fixer-upper property. I would love to renovate a mid-century house and give it the full Wes Anderson treatment.
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How can readers find your art?
Readers can find my large rug-tufted pieces at The Coolstore Gallery in Māpua. Them they can find my punch needle and craft patterns and kits, which I sell under my Cupcake Cutie label, at cupcakecutie1.etsy.com. I am @kimlawrenceart on both Instagram and Facebook. Instagram is my favourite spot to hang out, so it’s the best place to make contact with me regarding my art. I’m great at making art but useless at listing it.
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