Do you love that feeling when you travel to a new place and find a special treasure hidden in an interesting shop or go to a market and find a hand-crafted item that is one-of-a-kind? You take that treasure home with you and it is always a happy reminder of that time and place in the same way a piece of music can transport you to a memory.

Hello. I'm Claire Ishino. I draw and paint almost every day and I strive to create those kinds of joyful pieces of work that lift your spirits and fill your home and heart with happiness. I love connecting with people and listening to your stories. I am inspired by those stories as well my own personal experiences, nature and my love of pattern. I often use the shapes and forms of flowers and leaves as visual metaphors to express different thoughts and feelings or to convey messages.

I work from my home-studio here in Adelaide and produce original gouache or acrylic paintings and black and white ink drawings. From these original works, I make limited edition prints and also produce a range of greeting cards that are printed here in Adelaide on 100% recycled Fsc card. I believe in supporting local business and my fellow creatives and I am happy to be able to supply ethical and sustainable products to several local shops and enjoy popping up at local markets.

I studied Jewellery Design (and a year of Graphics) at the University of South Australia. After graduating, I worked as a designer and sales consultant in Adelaide before travelling to Japan to teach English for a year. One year in Japan soon extended to 8 years and, during that time, I created a range of jewellery that was exhibited and sold across Japan from Osaka to Tokyo. In the last several years, my focus shifted away from jewellery towards 2-dimensional art works and I love working in this way with the ability to introduce so many colours into my designs.

My first solo exhibition of art works, 'Haru-Spring' was held at Urban Cow Studio during the 2014 SALA festival. Some of the designs from these pieces have been licensed to teNeues publisher in New York for use on greeting cards and notebooks and I was also very excited to be included as one of a hundred illustrators in Work/Life 3: The UPPERCASE Directory of Illustrators published by UPPERCASE magazine Editor, Janine Vangool in Canada, 2013.