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The painter and digital creator's graphic new works enliven the abode.

| By Rachael Thompson | Home tours

Artist Xander Holliday’s Vibrant Home Is Filled with Colourful Art

The painter and digital creator's graphic new works enliven the abode.

Welcome to The Makers. Each week, we’re celebrating innovators, artisans, and crafters of all types, taking you on a private tour of their creative spaces. For this instalment, we tour painter and digital creator, Xander Holliday's colourful home.

Multi-disciplinary artist Xander Holliday's artworks are bold, graphic, and shapely, bringing a playful pop of colour to the homes they reside in. The painter and digital creator makes graphic and colour-driven art in both traditional painting and digital methods. "Getting colour combinations and balance right is a big part of my process," he shares with Bed Threads Journal.

He's dabbled in a variety of industries from hairdressing to working for a bank, but his ultimate calling was full-time art. "Looking back it's been a mixed bag of study, jobs, and side gigs, but they all have contributed somehow to where I am today," he says. One of his greatest achievements has been being represented by Julia Green at Greenhouse Interiors. "It was a humbling and validating moment to make the cut into her fold of artists and makers," he says.

In an exciting collaboration with Bed Threads, Xander has created four exclusive prints that celebrate his love of colour and far-flung destinations. Each of these modern artworks is inspired by ancient signs and symbols and can be hung on their own or paired with any or all of the others.

Xander's modern home, which he built with partner Shaun, beautifully illustrates the transformative effect that art can have on the look and feel of a space. "A brand new house can be daunting as there is so much blank," he says. His vibrant paintings, alongside works from other Australian artists, are peppered throughout the home, bringing life and interest to each room.

An expert in colour matching, Xander has selected furniture and décor that perfectly ties in with the hues of the artworks featured. "We aren’t afraid of colour and we have used it throughout the house," he says. The living room turns to earthy tones of pinks, browns, and greens with tan leather seating, a jute rug, and copper plant pots. "We are always open to moving pieces around and swapping décor from room to room. We also like mixing a few vintage finds in with all the new pieces."

In the primary bedroom, a dreamy blend of beautiful pastels in Mineral and Lilac bedding creates a soothing sanctuary to retreat to each evening.

We took a tour of Xander's vibrant home and spoke to him about his career journey and creative process.

Shop Xander Holliday's Edit.

Hi Xander! This series is called The Makers. What is it that you make?

I make graphic and colour-driven art in both traditional painting and digital methods.

How does the act of “making” relate to your personality and who you are?

I'm always trying to find balance in my art. The right placement of elements, the different weight of colours, and I guess that balance search or levelness can be said about me too.

Tell us about your career journey to date. Did you always know you wanted to pursue this line of work?

Looking back it's been a mixed bag of study, jobs, and side gigs, but they all have contributed somehow to where I am today. I wanted to be a graphic designer out of school but found myself studying fashion design. Unsure where this could lead me I became a hairdresser and had many different hairstyles while doing so. I have my time working retail and hospitality jobs while living abroad too.

Upon returning to Australia and looking for stability, I worked in a bank for many years. People are often surprised to hear this because it is so different to what I do now which is full-time art. Being creative and expressive I’ve explored through side hustles like writing for street press, another moment was thinking I could become a DJ!

It wasn’t until working in an interior-focused retail job that I saw behind the scenes of the retail art world. Being the seller of art gave me that “I could do this” moment. I began painting as a hobby on the side and just grew from there.

Talk us through your creative process. Where do you start?

I often start sketching digitally. This gives you the freedom to change the colours and compositions of the elements that make up an artwork. Getting colour combinations and balance right is a big part of my process. If I’m then translating the design to a canvas, I’ll use this as a guide to paint.

Saying that I sometimes just pick up a brush and go for it. These on-the-fly pieces lead to new ideas or techniques, but sometimes they sit in the corner of the room for months on end.

What’s been the single most crucial tool or strategy you’ve used to further your career?

Social media has been a crucial part of getting where I am today. It helps you connect with customers, stockists, collaborators, and other creatives. It can be all-consuming at times but it has been something I’ve leveraged from the very beginning to build a following and brand awareness.

I must say having a supporting partner certainly helps. Leaving your day job to be a painter is a big ask but Shaun has backed me all the way.

How did you initially know this was the space for you?

My partner Shaun and I built this house so we knew this was right for us through that process. We lived in a few rental properties before this so we knew what we liked but more importantly didn’t like when customising it.

Our previous purchase was a real fixer-upper and we quickly realised that commitment was not for us (at this stage anyway). We were very fortunate to be able to sell and create something from scratch.

What are your favourite pieces in the home?

I love our custom-made recycled concrete coffee table by Five Mile Radius in Brisbane. They salvaged brick and tile from a building that was being demolished and created a terrazzo-style polished concrete finish. It is one of a kind!

Do you have any projects coming up you want to talk about?

I have lots of cool collaborations coming out over the next 12 months, it's an exciting time. I’m exploring where and what my art can reach so who knows where you will see me pop up.

For more from Xander follow him at @xanderholliday

Photography by Benito MartinStyling by Jackie Brown.

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