Lisa Kirkbride is a graphic designer, illustrator and surface pattern designer living in sunny Whitley Bay - she’s also one of the brilliant artists that we work with here at For The Love of The North!
Her illustration and surface pattern style is heavily influenced by her background in graphic design and this is reflected in her designs which are bold, vibrant and fun. She’s inspired by Scandinavian design and 1950s vintage fabrics and wallcoverings. Ultimately, she loves to make art that makes people smile.
For several years she has exhibited in New York and San Francisco – she described it as “a thoroughly enjoyable and rewarding experience.” As a result she’s seen her designs on products in the US – on anything from greeting cards, gift bags, bolt & quilting fabric to stamps and pattern papers for the craft market and children’s wear. In the UK she has been commissioned to create designs for brands across the region and further afield, including packaging, fabric design, illustrated prints, gifts and confectionery.
Fun fact - when she was around 13-14 years old she attended art classes at David Hockney’s sister’s house. They were run by her partner Ken who was so generous with his time, knowledge and art materials - “I remember they had the most amazing paintings by Hockney on the walls around the house and I’ve been a fan ever since.”
When she was small she was always found drawing, colouring and loved anything creative. Her degree was in Graphic Design and she has worked in the industry since graduating, designing for businesses of all sizes across all sorts of industries – “I enjoy the variety – every day is different. Whilst I create most of my art digitally, I have an unhealthy love of art materials and stationery – I’m not sure you can ever have enough stationery!”
We’ve worked with Lisa on many occasions and of course we absolutely love it, she’s also expressed her love of working with us too! “Lucy and Paul are very passionate about championing the North East and supporting local artists and the community. They have commissioned me to work on some really enjoyable projects and they have a really clear vision for FLOTN aesthetic - creating quality products with sound sustainable/environmental credentials. I really love seeing my art come to life on products from mugs, coasters, tea towels and stationery to quilts, cushions and even Christmas Jumpers!”
Lisa was also the artist we worked with to create our ‘Love Will Get Us Through’ cards and prints to help raise money for Northumbria NHS Bright Charity and show solidarity with NHS/key workers during Covid - “what was really amazing was that people began to display them in their windows and during our hour of exercise we'd pass house after house with the prints in their windows - with some houses displaying a number of locations. As people missed family and friends and were unable to travel and connect, prints were sent to family members across the UK, Europe and as far away as Australia.
I'm really proud and grateful to have played a part in raising such a huge amount of money - over £10,000 for Northumbria NHS Bright Charity. The community spirit and support they evoked was amazing.”
As we send out a Tourist Tip with every online order, we asked Lisa what her ultimate tourist tip is to anyone visiting the great North East for the first time, she said “head to coast and enjoy a sunrise swim in Cullercoats Bay, if you’re lucky you may even spot some passing dolphins! Then pop for brunch or a warming hot chocolate at one of the many local cafes.”
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