BABUSHKA CAFÉ
PORTRUSH

Collaborative Project and Exhibition
Original paintings, Prints, and Merchandise

Portrush, Northern Ireland
November 2021

This project born from the desire to make art more accessible and to work collaboratively with another small business in Northern Ireland. Following a lack of exhibition opportunities post-pandemic and ongoing restrictions heavily affecting the hospitality industry, Hana ( then ‘Paints of Hannah’) and George (Owner of Babushka) wanted to reimagine how we engage with art and delve into creating exciting merchandise for both parties

I created two original paintings ‘Babushka’ and ‘Chairman’ which informed the designs for the merchandise. I knew the ‘Babushka’ painting would work for the main image, with some reorganising of the elements, made possible with the assistance of designer Katie Abri Smith, a design was born.

I wanted to make sweatshirts to be worn along the coast and tote bags big enough to fit all your beach essentials. We chose to use high-quality materials, sourcing local and ethical products where possible.

The chair element was used as a joint logo variation for the front of the sweatshirts and the reverse of the tote bags.