3. How would you describe your work in three words?

Hand-printed, Joyful, Colourful

4. What materials or techniques do you use, and why are they important to your process?

Treading lightly on the earth is at the heart of my process. Our fabrics are sourced from a European mill powered by green energy. Our dyes are hand mixed and water based. Screen printing allows me to oversee the whole print process.

I love printing my fabrics by hand because I can make beautiful things locally. Screen printed fabrics are imperfect, unique and each separate piece tells its own story

5. Can you tell us about a favourite piece you’ve created and the story behind it?

A lovely project we recently worked on was decorating a Somerset yurt. Alice and I had a simple mission, not to buy anything new. We screen printed on old table cloths and covered the yurt walls with patterns. It was such a joy to create something from reclaimed materials and transform old fabrics with print.

6. What does a typical day in your studio or workshop look like?

My dream day would look like this – coffee, moving my body – either pilates or a good walk, looking for inspiration in my garden or buying flowers locally, painting or drawing, a delicious lunch, more painting, spending time with my family and friends – ideally outside on a beach – and then dinner.

7. Do you have any unique rituals or habits that help you stay creative?

I’m currently short on time because of having young children, and it feels like my mind is fizzing with ideas that I just can’t get to. However, I’ve found that the limited time I have actually sparks my creativity. Having a set window to work in helps me stay focused and productive, as it pushes me to make the most of the time I do have, instead of getting stuck in procrastination (doom scrolling!).

8. How do you handle creative blocks? Do you have any strategies or tips for overcoming them?

A cliche, but getting outside into nature always helps me to stay inspired.

9. What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced as a maker, and how did you overcome it?

I definitely agree with the saying ‘comparison is the thief of joy’. As soon as you start of compare your abilities or achievements to others, it can start to make you lack confidence. This is what happened on my Foundation year – I was surrounded by brilliant artists and completely lost sight of my personal offering. Putting yourself out there is so scary, but to be honest, i’ve found that the rewards are almost always worth it.

10. What’s been your proudest moment or achievement so far?

I don’t mean this to sound terribly commercial, but I think the first time someone bought a piece! It was honestly such a vote of confidence, that it really drove me to keep on making work and developing my style.

Another very cool moment was when a celebrity couple, who I really admire for their personal style, bought two of my paintings from a pop up (thanks to the shop Quinn Says!).

11. Where do you draw inspiration from for your work? What sparks your imagination and creativity?

I live in remote Cornwall and am very inspired by nature and the seasons.

12. Do you have a favourite artist, maker, movement, or tradition that has influenced your craft?

I absolutely love the paintings of Olive Guest – her use of colour and form are incredible.

I’m so inspired by a lot of the other makers on Makers Made too, across all of the disciplines. I love to see how people are working with their chosen mediums and constantly evolving to create works which are profound or inspiring or beautiful (or all of those things!).

13. How does colour influence your practice; is it an important part of your process? Do you have a particular palette or favourites? Any go-to sources for colour inspiration?

I also love that my pieces are generally quite bright, colourful and stylistic. There seems to be this miscommunication that ‘natural’ or ‘environmental’ means white or pared back. Nature is awash with colour and I want to embrace that and help people bring pops of colour into their homes (even if they prefer a pared back aesthetic generally).

14. What role does your environment play in shaping your creativity?

I’m incredibly inspired by where I live and also the current period in my life. I’m inspired by the colours of the shells on the beach or the flowers in my garden, how my children draw, what colours they currently like… The seasons really affect my work – throughout this winter I have been drawn to much darker, richer hues and now that spring is around the corner, I’m suddenly reaching for much bolder brighter paints.

In terms of the bigger environmental picture, I try to be as sustainable as I can. The frames I use for my ‘ink+frame’ collection, are all preloved, so not only is each one unique but also getting a new lease of life.

15. What do you want people to feel when they experience your work?

I want people to feel excited by my work – i aim to create pieces which are desirable for interior spaces, but are also sentimental – I love to create works which will be treasured and loved. So much time and energy goes into creating each piece, even the tiny ones, that I really want that love to be reflected in the final pieces.

16. What are you currently working on, and what excites you most about it?

I’m currently in the process of hopefully moving into a larger studio space, so can’t wait to have the space to produce some much larger pieces. I can’t wait to see how my style translates to these larger scale pieces.

17. What advice would you give to someone starting out as a maker?

Back yourself and stay true to your own style.

18. If you could go back to the start of your career, what advice would you give your younger self?

Be more confident in what you have to offer – your people will find you!

19. If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?

I absolutely love the work of Sandra Blow – I’d love to have met and worked alongside her – her works are so striking. I’m also so drawn to the beautiful forms of Barbara Hepworth and she sounded like a strong character, so I would have loved to see her working.

20. Where can people find your work, and how can they support you?

My website is ley-lines.co.uk or you can see my work on instagram. Thanks so much for featuring my work.

Ruth Ley’s pieces are a celebration of colour, memory, and individuality. Whether it’s a personal commission or a ready-made piece, each artwork carries a sense of story and place created to bring character and emotion into the everyday. With a playful yet thoughtful approach to materials and meaning, Ruth invites us to decorate with pieces that truly feel like our own.

Explore Ruth’s latest collections and follow her creative journey:

Support Ruth by visiting the Ley Lines website, exploring her hand-painted, heirloom-inspired pieces, and following the colourful, sentimental journey of her West Cornwall studio on Instagram.