My Story

Hello! I am an illustrator and printmaker from Sydney, Australia. At university I studied mechanical engineering, and later a PhD in biomedical engineering. After completing my PhD, I spent a decade working mainly in the academic sector, and then… I had children. 

I made a complete 180 degree career change after having my second daughter. I decided to follow my passion for illustration and printmaking, and Negin Designs (my third child) was born. I work from my home studio in Bronte and am fortunate to have one of Sydney’s most beautiful beaches at my door step. Running a small business has been both challenging and rewarding. I wear many hats and it is a constant juggle with the demands of motherhood.  

I am a passionate printmaker, having been introduced to the medium by my high school art teacher in Year 7. I have been a member of the Warringah Printmakers Studio for 12 years. The studio is an open access printmaking studio with an emphasis on non-toxic and safer practices. I have been a committee member since 2021 as their Social Media Manager. Printmaking is such a unique medium and an artform that not many people are familiar with. Many people will visit an art gallery and see etchings and other hand-pulled prints and may not necessarily understand the process that created that print. When they do learn the process they are often amazed by the level of skill and patience that is required. This is what I aim to achieve by serving on the committee, I want to spread the love for printmaking far and wide :-)

The subject matter of my work celebrates Australia’s unique flora and fauna. I have a particular love for Australian native birds, and you will see they feature heavily in my work. 

Being a scientist, I take a very technical approach to my art making; I believe a deep understanding and knowledge of your subject matter are the key to a successful design. 

My Art Process

I specialise in three quite differing mediums: traditional illustration and watercolour, printmaking and digital illustration.  

For my traditional work, I always start with a pencil and a piece of paper. Some of my most successful ideas have come to fruition away from technology with only these two traditional resources.

I start with a rough sketch of my subject, and then refine with mostly ink or watercolour, but I dabble with a wide range of media. After all the “handy-work” is completed, I scan and digitise the artwork. 

I convert much of my work into patterned repeats. I usually illustrate motifs and features of my designs separately and scan and digitise them separately; this allows for a fair bit of flexibility when working with layered elements. One of my expertise is designing complex repeats with a lot of layering.

I use digital illustration for about half of my licensing work. What do I mean by digital illustration? It’s essentially traditional illustration, except my pencil or paint brush is replaced by an Apple Pencil, and the paper is replaced by the surface of the iPad Pro using various digital illustration apps. 

My printmaking work ranges from intaglio to relief printmaking techniques (check out my blog post here for an explanation of the two techniques). My linocut prints have a graphic quality about them, and I often hand colour my linoprints with watercolour. 

Exhibitions

Art@TheRowers Acquisitive Exhibition
Finalist
4 April - 19 April 2024
Mosman Rowers Art Gallery, Mosman NSW

Warringah Printmakers Studio Annual Exhibition 2023
15 - 26 November 2023
The Creative Space, 105 Abbott Rd, North Curl Curl NSW Australia

Hornsby Art Prize
Finalist
20 October - 5 November 2023
Wallarobba Arts and Cultural Centre, Hornsby NSW

“Printmaking in Action”
27 - 30 July 2023
Warringah Printmakers In-Studio Exhibition. This exhibition is a part of the Northern Beaches Creative Open.
Manly Vale NSW

“Interior”
Sat 13 - Sun 14 & Sat 20 - Sun 21 August 2022
Warringah Printmakers In-Studio Exhibition. This exhibition is a part of the Northern Beaches Creative Open.
Manly Vale NSW

“Printmaking”
Susan Baran + Students
28 June - 28 August 2022
Bather's’ Pavillion Gallery, 4 The Esplanade, Mosman NSW

Warringah Printmakers Studio Annual Exhibition 2022
16 - 26 June 2022
The Creative Space, 105 Abbott Rd, North Curl Curl NSW Australia

Shadow & Light
1 November - 29 November 2021
Warringah Printmakers Studio inaugural online and social media exhibition.

Natural Collection
17 October 2018 - 17 March 2019
An exhibition of prints from the pages of the collaborative artists' book, Natural Collection, featuring the work of twenty-nine Warringah Printmakers Studio artists. The images each show an artist's view of the endangered and vulnerable wildlife and habitats of the Northern Beaches area of Sydney, NSW.
Manly Art Gallery & Museum, West Esplanade Reserve, Manly NSW Australia

Warringah Printmakers Studio Annual Exhibition
31 October - 11 November 2018
The Creative Space, 105 Abbott Rd, North Curl Curl NSW Australia

Overwintering: Sydney
22-24 June 2018
Migratory shorebirds project.
Warringah Printmakers Studio Gallery, Manly Vale NSW

Warringah Printmakers Studio Annual Exhibition
15 - 26 November 2017
The Creative Space, 105 Abbott Rd, North Curl Curl NSW Australia

Natural Collection: Artist Book July - September 2017
Artist book featuring the work of 29 Warringah Printmakers Studio artists
Manly Art Gallery & Museum, West Esplanade Reserve, Manly NSW Australia

"Metropolis" June 15 - June 26 2016
Warringah Printmakers Group Exhibition
Art Space on The Concourse, 409 Victoria Avenue, Chatswood NSW Australia

Warringah Printmakers Studio Annual Exhibition
26th November - 6th December 2015
The Creative Space, 105 Abbott Rd, North Curl Curl NSW Australia