In Honour of Nature with Tiarni Emery
With nature being our greatest muse, we seeked out a little conversation with the wild and whimsical Tiarni Emery from @tiarnicollective, an incredible pyrographic artist based on Wadandi Boodja Lands ~ Margaret River Region in Western Australia. Tiarni unveils the beauty behind being a full time Artist & Mother and how flowing with nature is her greatest source of creativity.
Your work is so beautiful and inspiring! When and why was Tiarni Collective established?
Thank you so much, that’s always lovely to hear! I pretty much just followed my heart to Tiarni Collective. It began while living in our caravan about 5 years ago and has evolved over the years. I am my happiest self when I am creating so I was naturally led down the path to working as an artist. It’s always been important to me to establish a business that allowed me to be flexible in terms of location and also as a mother working around what suits my family.
What creations do you offer through Tiarni Collective?
My most popular creations are my hand burnt hats. I burn my artwork into felt hats. I also do a bit of leather burning and also wooden homewares.
Tell us about the other brands you are in collaboration with and why?
The hats I use to burn my artworks on are Will and Bear, a beautiful Australian brand that supports regenerative farming for Australian wool growers. They are also partnered with Forest Garden, a tree planting program that plants a tree for every hat sold across the globe. So not only do they create beautiful hats that provide an amazing ‘canvas’ for me to work on, but their values and the way they prioritise the preservation of the environment is super inspiring to me and a brand I’m proud to promote alongside my work. There are so many hats I could work on, but I like to support those having a crack at making a difference.
One of the intentions behind creating Daughters of India was to assist in the preservation of the traditional Indian artform of hand block printing. How did you get into creating wood burnings and leather etchings? Where did you learn these forms of art and how did they speak to your soul in such a way for you to create a business around them?
One of my favourite details about DOI is the traditional hand block printing. So clever! Again it was a heart lead progression to burning my art, I’d not ever seen it or been exposed to it yet I was intuitively drawn to it. I love working with natural materials - wood, leather, wool, fire. So I followed the pull and found a tool I could use and just began. I remember my partner saying ‘shouldn’t you practice a bit first’ haha, but I felt like it was my thing and I felt very comfortable with it. The first burn I did was a very detailed Waratah flower, I wasn’t mucking around with the simple stuff!
It is evident the natural world is a strong influence for your beautiful artworks. Tell us more about the inspiration you receive through nature, how does this support your creative process and flow into your creations?
Everything I do is inspired by the wild. I’ve lived a very outdoors lifestyle on horseback, in the ocean, spending hours out in the bush so I’m constantly inspired and fueling my creativity. The more time you spend immersed in nature, the more you notice. The colours of a sunset, the tiny wildflowers growing, an eagle floating in the sky, little wrens dancing in the garden, feathers on the forest floor, shells washed up on the beach. All these little things find their way into my work. Spending majority of my time in nature and exploring new places puts me in a beautiful flow with my creativity.
At Daughters of India, we are committed to practising slow fashion with a deep focus on sustainability, preservation, and shining light on the beauty of nature. How does Tiarni Collective contribute to a similar ethos of slow fashion and sustainability?
Well slow is definitely the right word for my work! Because of the handmade nature of it everything is always in limited numbers and one of a kind pieces. I love this about handmade, it encourages people to be intentional about their purchase and to appreciate the craftsmanship involved. It’s quality over quantity. Stuff you can hand down to your children and enjoy for years to come. I am also very intentional in my business about the brands and materials I work with and the impact we are having collectively.
Tell us what you love about Daughters of India. What is your favourite Daughters of India design and why?
I love how considered DOI is as a brand. Details like the fact that there are no collections released rather just one product at a time just makes so much sense yet it’s so rare to see! The thing I adore most though, is the traditional hand block printing. I appreciate the time and skill involved in one set of hands creating such intricate work. How magic and special is that! My favourite DOI design! The Binita mini dress would have to be my fave design. I can’t go past a full length balloon sleeve and I’m so drawn to the colour purple at the moment. Anything I can chuck on and wear barefoot with a mum bun and still feel beautiful in is gold in my wardrobe!
You have created some special designs in collaboration with some of our dresses. What is the story behind each of these unique designs?
Oh I had so much fun with this! I blended my organic style of work in with the patterns of the dresses. The Jasmine hat was inspired by the sand and shell colours of the dress, so I added in little seashells to part of the pattern that I pulled from the dress. The Binita hat features spring-like flowers with flowing leaves like the botanicals on the fabric. For the Prairie dress I pulled the beautiful little flowers from the print and put them into a vintage style, patterned ‘band’ like design. Each hat has its own vibe paired with the dress.
We see a little sneak peak of kids hats coming soon to your collection, how exciting! How do you manage being both a mother and a thriving business woman?
I love the kids' hats for the little adventurers. It is quite the juggle running a business with a toddler. A lot gets done in nap time, it’s amazing how efficient you become with your time once becoming a mum. My partner is very supportive and allows me to have the time and space I need to create. But mostly I try to just keep a manageable workload. Mum life comes first and whatever I can achieve around that is great.
We love supporting Women Empowering Women, what advice would you share with other women desiring to live out their wild and whimsical dreams?
I’d say listen to your intuition. I believe we all have a purpose here and if you listen you’ll find your way to yours. And also don’t be afraid of hard work! Because that’s what it takes a lot of the time. But if you love what you are doing you’ll be happy to give it your all!
Tiarni’s artistry and business ethics are truly inspirational. From the various ways she supports slow fashion principles to her appreciation of nature and allowing her heart to lead the way. We loved spending time with Tiarni learning about her conscious craftsmanship and look forward to following her adventures of motherhood and creating on the road.
You can follow Tiarni’s art journey @tiarnicollective and explore more of her incredible designs on her website ~ https://tiarni.com.au
(words by Ella Josephine Archer)
