This week I spoke to Nadine Nevitt, an artist with hands in textile design, art direction, photography and a whole lot more. We discussed her strategies behind designing in different mediums, her inclusion in the Vancouver Mural Festival, and why pineapples are suitable for all ages.

Working in Textile Design

Nadine grew up in rural Ontario and in a way, pursuing an artistic career was continuing in the family business. Her father was an art professor at Ontario College of Art & Design and her mother taught art in primary school. If you ask me, it’s tough to say who had the more challenging student body. Surrounded by art from a young age, Nadine describes family trips to galleries, museums, and spending her formative years exploring many creative endeavours. Despite also being attracted to the sciences and music, she decided to attend Ryerson University and earn a Bachelor of Design with a specialization in Fashion Communication. With a curriculum including pattern drafting, sewing, photography and over four-hundred hours of an applied co-op, she says that navigating through the multi-disciplinary program really helped her create a diverse skillset alongside an equally diverse range of artists. Based on their professions, I would assume that Nadine’s parents would agree with her belief that “any learning is good learning;” she has recently been upskilling her studio lighting and portraiture chops at Langara College.

Upon graduating from Ryerson, she entered an economy in the middle of a recession, spurring her to “always say yes to all opportunities” presented to her. Her first position following her graduation was at Joe Fresh, where she was tasked with creating graphic and colour print patterns for their clothes and homeware. She spoke very highly of the senior graphic designers who helped mentor her there, but after her time at Joe Fresh, Nadine joined Lululemon, to help build their Ivviva line of girlswear. As a result of accepting this position, she moved from Ontario out to Vancouver in 2012 and worked with Lululemon for five years (but has stayed on the West Coast ever since). She describes her time there as a full-circle experience reflective of her multi-disciplinary education, beginning in concept design for prints and then moving to marketing roles in art direction and product photography. Nadine also started her own business five years ago, and now designs her own products, as well as working to support a wide range of clients.

The Vancouver Mural Festival and Art Direction

Nadine has completed three murals in Vancouver, for Turf, Adrenaline Tattoo, and most recently, Breakfast Table in collaboration with the 2020 Vancouver Mural Festival. Working on such a larger scale than her normal work presents a unique set of challenges, so “going in with optimism is really helpful,” as is giving herself some extra time to get it done. For this latest mural, she took a print that she had originally designed for a sweater and applied it to the front of the restaurant. Having a mural in such a heavily-travelled space was a special opportunity for her, as was the chance to permanently add some art to her own neighbourhood. Nadine also spoke of the physical toll that a large mural requires, saying that between climbing ladders, moving equipment, and covering such a large area, “I think I only have a mural in me a year if that”. However, this project also presented an added bonus of chatting with passersby throughout the process of finishing the mural, and Nadine says that the positive energy and feedback she received certainly helped motivate her along the way.

In addition to leading her own work, Nadine also works in art direction, collaborating with other designers and artists. She has had a longstanding relationship with Shop DYI in Texas and says that “sometimes it’s refreshing to step in halfway or towards the end of the process,” to offer a fresh second thought, as opposed to being involved from the very beginning. Regardless of when she joins a project, Nadine says that constant communication between herself, her team, and the client is paramount to achieving the best possible outcome. Expanding on this, she adds that “it’s always magical seeing a set of four or five people, all different and really amazing creatives come together” to bring something to life. This work also serves to keep her engaged and refreshed as she can move between several different projects in one day.

Designing Across Mediums

Textiles and murals only represent a small portion of the mediums in which Nadine works, and she explains that scale, material, and client are just a few factors that must be considered before diving into a project. For example, to the uneducated blog writer, it would be easy to overlook whether the design will stretch when the user is moving or whether a waterproof finish would affect the image. Textiles are especially exciting to Nadine as “there’s always an extra element of who’s wearing it, or what kind of fabric it’s going on, and how it’s being styled”. In this way, her art is interactive and personal to the user in a way that other forms don’t necessarily offer. The same piece can be worn in many different ways, granting her designs the ability to cross demographics, cultures, and individuals themselves and have a “completely different life”. As an example of this life, she told me a story in which she was asked to design a sweater with a pineapple image for a Japanese clothing company. Originally she thought it was for a children’s collection, but she had to pivot her design when she learned that it was actually intended for professional businesswomen. Nadine was part of an international group of designers who worked on this line, and she was eventually invited to Japan to promote the products in the stores in which they were being sold. As part of their promotional campaign, Nadine was asked to take commission requests from customers, drawing portraits of their pets or whatever else they could think of. She remarked that “their appreciation for art and the exchange,” of dog drawings across a language barrier was a bizarre but extremely fulfilling experience for her. Travelling to see her work in its natural habitat is something Nadine looks forward to getting back to, as she says that “sharing [art] is the best part whether it lives in a house or on a body. I think any artists would say that”.

To keep up to date with Nadine’s work, follow her on Instagram, and check out her website to browse her portfolio. Amongst other products, she currently has a line of notebooks available, but reach out to her if you are interested in commissioning some custom prints for apparel or other products.

Follow A Musing on Instagram for more content on Nadine and the other creatives in this series.

And don’t forget to check our last interview with Food Waste Recovery Coordinator, Martin Field.

-BF.