Being introduced by a mutual friend it only took a meal and a glass of wine for Georgia English and Rachel Osborne-Walker to know that they wanted to go into business together. What that business would be, however, was less clear.
“We were from similar backgrounds and both craving a new project but had no firm idea of how we were going to combine our talents and skills,” explains Georgia. “But we hit it off and knew we could work wonders together. We were both at a stage with the age of our children where we needed something for us and something to express our creativity again.”
[contextly_sidebar id=”4eSnSJT2OXcat8Jh5Hn7RJJ1LFYD3bCB”]With Georgia coming from a background in media and fashion and Rachel a career in publishing, they both shared an obsession with creating things. So when Georgia picked up a part-time job in their local wool and craft shop on the Mornington Peninsula, inspiration struck. “We met in the wool shop on Georgia’s lunch break one day and decided to buy five balls of wool each,” says Rachel. “The soft texture of beautiful wool is such an alluring medium to work with, so we then spent an evening experimenting with our new yarns and our first wool art was formed!” From there, in late 2014, their business The Colour English was born.
Creating one-of-a-kind wool art, each piece has its own unique personality. “We give them a name when they are finished and describe what they mean to us and how they have evolved on an individual label that is placed on the back of each piece,” explains Rachel. “Some pieces we work together on. Other pieces we work on individually.”
Inspired by colour, they create their art with no set plan but rather discuss what kind of mood they want the colours to give off. “We let the wool and colours happen freely,” says Georgia. “The soft textures of beautiful wool is such an alluring medium to work with. We are inspired by the gentle texture and the huge range of amazing yarns now available.”
Whilst wool is definitely their medium of choice, they are both interested in pursuing other crafts in the coming months. “Georgia has dabbled in painting with acrylics in the past and has been commissioned on a few occasions,” says Rachel. “Going forward we aim to build our brand with the introduction of original painted artworks, prints and another project that we are calling fabric art. Our framed fabric art will be created using vintage fabrics and trims.” Watch this space!
Styling by Mardi Mason | Photography by Lisa Atkinson