Deborah Wace

Deborah Wace, Churchill Fellow., BA(VisArts), CertIVSmallBusMgt, CertIIIMicroBusOps

I am a botanical artist, fabric designer & professional printmaker & singer. Based in Hobart, my Deborah WACE botanical designs are available across a range of luxury art, fashion, repeat pattern fabrics, wallpapers, soft furnishings & architectural substrates; incorporating sustainable print & production processes where possible. I have a digitised, element library of 200+ distinctly Tasmanian pressed plant specimens, linked to Australia’s botanical historical record. I combine these with drypoint & mono-print original artwork and etchings, which I digitally layer to create my designs. I was awarded a Churchill Fellowship 2018, enabling travel to Europe to study botanical specimens collected by naturalists from the French D’Entrecasteaux expeditions to Tasmania in 1792-93, & the Baudin expedition from 1800-03. I studied the significant botanical & illustrative Herbarium collections held in Paris, Florence & Kew. Original, contemporary cultural motifs born from this experience are woven into Deborah WACE art and designs. I specialise in creating bespoke art pieces. I designed the underside of the Van Diemen’s Band’s harpsichord lid, showcasing 31 Tasmanian botanical species, and multiple drypoint & monoprint elements. I produced a luxury cushion range for On Board Tasmanian Expedition Cruises 24m catamaran ‘Odalisque III’. In Sept 2024, I presented 14 bespoke ‘looks’ at a Tasmanian Fashion Festival runway show, which were specially produced, silk garments featuring the flora of Tasmania; aimed at lifting its currency in the Australian & International fashion field. My ultimate goal is to create real conversations about habitat loss & biodiversity, inviting a deeper and more informed and sustainable connection into our natural world.