MOMENTS of JOY

Sue Pat's whimsical stationery cleverly captures the wonders of Christmas

- Bryony Ammonds

Studio Sue's tagline is to "create moments of joy". One glimpse at Aucklandbased artist Sue Pat's whimsical illustrations of animals, botanicals or sweet Christmas imagery and the sense of delight leaps off the page. Now on her 10th stationery collection, Sue's desire to share and create joy is showing no signs of slowing down.

How did you get into illustration?

As a child, I was always drawing and creating. One of my early memories is painting a picture of my mum in her brown dress surrounded by flowers at kindergarten.

I remember all the teachers crowding around to look at my artwork and showing my mum when she picked me up. When I discovered what a graphic designer was at intermediate school, I knew straight away that's what I wanted to be. I studied graphic design at Auckland University of Technology, and while I majored in design in my final year, my work always incorporated illustration.

When and why did you start Studio Sue?