Madeleine O’Connell doesn’t shy away from whimsy. The Highland artist’s oil paintings—ornately adorned women and tropical birds, for example—burst with color, and her line of vintage-inspired statement jewelry sparkles. So when we heard about O’Connell’s newest artistic endeavor—fabric design—we were thrilled.
It all began two years ago with a nudge from O’Connell’s sister, who asked to use one of the paintings to make fabric for a shirt. (Creativity runs in the family.) To O’Connell, it was an I-can-do-that moment. “I’ve been painting for 30 years, and I’ve always responded to patterns and textiles and fabrics,” she says. So she photographed portions of her paintings—the tablecloth of a still life, a woman’s dress from a portrait—then used a computer to create patterns.
The result is the newly launched Madeleine O’Connell Textiles, a collection of kaleidoscope-like fabrics. Perfect for an accent pillow or occasion chair, the fabric will add a punch of the unexpected—and some local art—to your home.
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Available at Shanahan Collection at the Denver Design District, 595 S. Broadway, mwoconnell.com