The Abstract Design Process

Delve into the Susi Bellamy world and understand how Susi and the team transform her original artwork into signature abstract designs. Susi has been painting for many years and is inspired by nature. She uses bright botanical shades to create her artwork. 'Art for the sofa' was formulated as a means to bring beautiful art to your home and take it off the wall onto your furniture! 

Above you can see Susi's original painting of Azure Abstracts. The whole piece is scanned in and the most interesting crops are selected, which will then be developed into designs. The thick paint application Susi has achieved with a palette knife translates beautifully into this painterly design; the metallic gold paint looks amazing and adds a great contrasting tone to the design. Azure is available in a linen and velvet fabric as well as cushions, shades and accessories. 

(See above) Emerald Streaks is another example of one of Susi's paintings being transformed into a product design. The depth of the velvet pile is perfect for showing the brush strokes from effortless movement in the original painting. To create a repeat pattern such as Emerald Streaks, the scale of the artwork is considered to determine what tile is used. The scale is kept large in this case to keep the rich floral tones and strokes from the paint in the design. Emerald Streaks fabric is a straight match repeat because the original artwork has been painted with expressive layers creating an orderly design. The artwork is then manipulated until it is a seamless repeat. Finally, colourways are an integral part of the design process and are developed until Susi is happy with the final design. 

Written by Kate Henderson