Drawing from nature and & folklore, animals, trees,

birds and home comforts are at the heart of

Dear Prudence and Laura Ruth Park’s eclectic style.

Can you tell us a little bit about Dear Prudence?

I created dear prudence in the summer months of 2010. I started out designing and selling cards for shops in the UK. I was sick of the generic nature of cards back then and wanted them to be a bit different. Since then I have added gift wrap, jotters, pencil cases, prints to my business and also license out my designs to other companies to use on a variety of new textiles and homewares. It has been a really exciting ten years!

We'd love to hear more about your design process, the things that inspire you and the different techniques you choose to use?

Rather than working to a specific brief, I tend to let my creative process run more naturally. I have to be in the mood and feeling the flow. This happens usually when I am amongst nature, out walking or wild swimming. I always carry a sketchbook everywhere I go and my camera. Recording my ideas at that very moment is everything! I often have 6 sketchbooks that I am working on all at the same time. I flit and float from one idea to the next.

Then I start sketching thumbnail compositions, colours, textures, being very loose. Sometimes I may start with just a particular animal I love that day (at the moment I am loving pangolin’s) I just love their shape and cute faces. I use mainly watercolour for my illustration but I am beginning to introduce more collage and mixed media. I will illustrate all the components separately and then scan each one into my computer. I then clean up, compose, edit, scale and basically make my illustrations work as cards and paper goods that I know will sell.

After being confined to our homes for an extended period, there seems to be a collective need for the great outdoors and open landscapes. Is this something that you have seen reflected in your work or perhaps could affect your future art?

Oh yes, I have always loved landscape painting at the best of times. My Great Uncle was a well known Scottish landscape painter so I definitely feel a deep connection. I am extremely lucky to live in such a beautiful valley in West Yorkshire. Hebden Bridge. My house is literally perched into the side of a hill and the views are spectacular.

During lockdown, I got into the habit of painting the moody skies and lush green hills with little houses. I did a few LIVES on Insta and my followers really loved watching the process. I have a beautiful collection of Concertina cards, landscapes and outdoors work well on these.

Ethics play a big part in Dear Prudence,, for example, everything is made in the UK, which is great to hear! Can you tell us why you made this decision and do you think this concept of sourcing locally and being environmentally friendly should be explored more in the creative world?

About 5 years ago I did come to a crossroad in my business where I nearly got sucked into the “made in China’ world.

I was finding it harder and harder to source UK manufactures to make what I wanted for a good price. My ideas were different. I wanted to design a baby book, a very specific jotter with rounded corners, stick notes, and memo blocks. I just had so many ideas that I couldn’t see through because UK manufacturing was so poor.

China had the variety and the price was right. I could grow, very quickly with a good collection of different paper goods and stationery. But, I decided to make a very hard decision at the time where most paper goods companies were going to China or India.

For me, the voice in my head telling me to go eco, local, small was just too loud. I would be going against my belief system, where the planet is the most important thing to me and my business. Also supporting jobs and opportunities in my own country was what mattered. Being made in the UK has then been a key attraction for other countries. I sell more cards in Australia than I do in the UK. My pencil cases are made by people in the UK with learning difficulties who have found it difficult to get work elsewhere.

It’s so important, now more than ever to go UK made. It is without a doubt the future. People want to know exactly where and what they are buying. Manufacturing has changed so much now, even in the last 5 years, where you can literally get small runs of anything made. From tea towels to mugs. It’s incredible the change the internet has brought. I am so glad I went with my heart rather than chasing the money.

Your work is beautifully textural and has a mixed media style that we love! Where does this influence come from and how important do you think it is in capturing nature?

I originally studied textiles and have a masters in printed textiles too. I used to rip apart old prints and sew them back together and then scan them into my computer. Then I would get them digitally printed onto fabric. It was a completely new way of working.

You will really see an influence of textiles in my work. I love drawing and illustration pattern, and texture, from a quilt to a crochet blanket or rug, Textiles really excites me. Every shape and texture comes from or is started from nature. It’s all around us and makes us feel grounded and at peace. I try to create this in my work, from the muted colours, to the softness of the textures. I love to create feeling and emotion in my cards. Touching someone's heart means so much to me.

Is there anything exciting we can expect to see from you in the future?

So many big plans. Yes. More than ever now, it’s about making things happen. I can’t wait for the work to drop in anymore. Trade shows are a thing of the past and my platform is my Instagram where I have to make opportunities come my way. I am still working on my first children’s book, which is taking much longer than I thought. I recently released an Ezine (the snail and the deer) as an experiment and it was really fun. I am also joining forces with my sister who is a potter. We plan to Start a new ceramics line, which will be a sister company to dear prudence. It’s in the very early stages but it’s going to be amazing.

You can find Laura’s beautiful work at Dearprudencestudio.com