An Interview with Illustrator and Designer, Bella Gomez

Bella’s illustrations for our Kendra Scott 2019 Holiday Cards

Bella Gomez is a pattern designer, illustrator, and creative – not to mention a huge source of inspiration to the Kendra Scott family. She has partnered with us since 2018, providing art for a variety of projects from vibrant florals illustrations for our Summer ‘18 campaign to colorful gemstones covering the walls at Dell Children’s Hospital as a part of our Kendra Cares program. We asked her all of the questions on our minds and uncovered some interesting parts of what makes her who she is, including her affinity for the sea and her wistful attitude towards fishnets.

Additional illustrations by Bella for the Kendra Scott 2019 Holiday Cards

Tell us about your background; How long have you been an artist and what has the evolution of that looked like?

I started my artistic endeavors dancing, totally loving the freedom of expression, the buzz and the travel it bought me. I was drawn to art from a young age, and being a doer and maker, when I stopped dancing, it felt natural to pursue a career in design. I had my own accessories range for a while producing in the Far East, which led to designing products for a big high street store, then creating prints for a luxury fashion brand.

Now, I focus solely on illustration and surface pattern design and am fortunate enough to work on such a variety of formats from murals and interiors, to packaging, textiles, children’s books and advertising. I love what I do and embrace the chance to make an impact on a space or product, to evoke a feeling or send a message.

What’s a typical day like for you?

Mornings are with my family and the school run. Lewes is a very English town, steeped in history and character. The kids walk through a castle to get to school! A couple of days a week I exercise. This is definitely my sanity and the perfect way to fire me up for the day. I have a studio at home, which works best for me and will have coffee and breakfast over emails and catching up on admin. By mid-morning I am head down with a job that’s on. I usually sketch up and develop ideas by hand or on procreate on my iPad. If I am painting the day can fly by and I get fairly lost in the zone. My process ends with scanning and finalizing repeats and artworks on the computer. Between jobs, I work on my own projects, fleshing out an idea, pushing my skills and developing my style. Recently I’ve been painting more simplified abstract artworks. It's very free painting without knowing how the final artwork might be used. After kids bedtime and dinner I sometimes work late on my computer. Playing around with color ways or a pattern is one of my favorite parts of the design process.

What would your perfect day be like?

A lazy morning with my husband and kids. Get some good coffee and head to a gallery or show. My favorite part of the day is the late afternoon as the light shifts and everything looks a little softer. I love to walk along the hills or swim in the sea at this time, then taking in the sunset. My perfect evening is eating, drinking, hanging with my sister, brother, friends or family.

Kendra at the Kendra Scott Dell Children’s Treatment Center with a mural featuring gemstones illustrated by Bella

What’re you listening to lately? Who’s on your playlists?

A heavy rotation of Christine and The Queens, Aretha Franklin, BBC 6 music, Ted Talks and Amy Winehouse. Thankfully my husband introduces me to new sounds or I’d be stuck on old tracks forever!

What’s your favorite place in the world?

Near or in the sea. I have huge respect for the ocean. Nothing beats feeling the power of its waves or the sense of freedom, suspended in its calm. Some of my favorite experiences are; diving the Red Sea, jumping the Pacific rollers off Puerto Escondido and early morning swims on India’s natural raw beaches.

How do you stay inspired and where do you go to source inspiration?

I get inspired by many different things; color combinations, packaging, shadows, layers of peeling paint, vintage books... I live in the beautiful South Downs. Ten minutes from my house I'm surrounded by undulating hills, wildlife and flowers. I draw a lot of inspiration from nature, it’s color and form and how it changes through the seasons.

I lived in London for over 20 years and popping back for a day leaves me buzzing with ideas. Absorbing the mix of fashions, checking out exhibits at the RA or V&A, or spending time in one of my favorite spots; Kew Gardens, Goldborne market, Libertys and Maison Assouline book shop.