Here we go!

Whoop, whoop! Wow, so I may need to take it down a notch... It has been a long time coming, but it's official, the website is up and running!

"Ahem," let me introduce myself. I am Suzanne Mathis, owner/designer of harper + hughes design. I am an artist and designer with degrees in both Art Education and Interior Design. From a young age I had a love for textiles and design. My grandmother taught me how to sew while I was in high school... even helping me design my own prom dress for my Senior Prom. (You're welcome for the visual, c. 2000)

I was introduced to the technical process of Batik while studying for my first degree in 2002 and absolutely fell in love with the spontaneity of the medium. I took as many fibers courses as the University had to offer and graduated with a degree in Art Education in 2004. After several years of teaching Art at both the High School and Elementary School levels, I soon realized that my personal passion to create was not being fulfilled and decided to continue my education, this time in the field of Interior Design.

I graduated in 2013 with a BFA in Interior Design and with space as my three-dimensional canvas, began my career as a commercial interior designer. Though I loved my job, a long commute and new found role as a mother would soon deem itself too much. I had my second child a short 18 months later and quickly realized my time was better spent with my children.

Rather than considering this a loss of a job; it became a launching of a new career. As many of you know, your children are your muse. They give you strength and confidence you can gain in no other way. With dreams of one day owning my own design business, my educational training in both Art and Interior Design began to collide. I started playing around with Batik techniques and taught myself how to combine my hand dyed techniques with digital programs to create repeating patterns. This allowed me to take my hand dyed original works of art and create bolt fabric that could be sold by the yard. Thus the start of harper + hughes design.

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