Introducing Painters in Residence Abigail and Ryan Bell

“We are a husband and wife design duo based in Belfast, Northern Ireland and working together as Abigail*Ryan. We create bold hand-illustrated florals on our homeware using (we think) an uncommon colour palette. We have two pups, Angus (grumpy) & Hamish (happy-go-lucky) and three chickens, Helga, Brigitte and Henrietta.

And Annie's paint? 

Colour really drives our approach to painting. We generally like flat modern finishes, and bold saturated hues. I'm [Abigail] an illustrator, so generally create my detail work with pen and ink, but I like the qualities that paint can bring to that and the possibilities that unfold when the two combine.

Annie is an incredibly warm and charming person, and we loved spending some time with her in Belfast. She has a great sense of fun, and an infectious smile and endless enthusiasm. A genuinely lovely person... and her professional achievements are really inspiring. It’s fantastic to see how a business that has been running for such a long time found its stride and now has over 1,200 stockists. A wonderful success story for any entrepreneur to aspire to!

What you’ll see from us

To kick off we hand painted a beautiful Victorian chaise, and we are also using the paint to create a Japanese Shibori-inspired tie-die project to overhaul a Parker Knoll chair frame. We’re also really inspired to create beautiful flat modern finishes with Annie's Flat Brushes, so we have been experimenting with those. They’re great tools!”

Here's a peek of projects to come:

Yours, Annie

Follow this blog for exclusive pictures from Abigail and Ryan's residency and follow them on Instagram, Facebook, and her website: www.abigailryan.com

And remember to follow #PaintersInResidence on Instagram and Facebook, as well as my Painters in Residence board on Pinterest.