Please join us in celebrating this month’s spotlight surface designer, Noemi Salome Clymer Kurtz. We know you’ll find her story inspiring!
Please introduce yourself.
I am from the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, where I live with my family and a menagerie of animals. Art has been a central part of my life for as long as I can remember. When I was little, I used to sit at the table for hours drawing ball gown-clad girls on whatever paper I could get my hands on.
I have been designing patterns since 2022, but along the way I have also started my own greeting card line, designed and sold embroidery patterns, and had a small gallery exhibit.
Tell us a little bit about your design journey.
Both of my grandmothers are skilled sewists, and one of my favorite things to do at their houses was looking through their fabric collections and arranging them by color or pattern, but it didn’t occur to me that it was actually someone’s job to design the patterns until a few years ago when I stumbled across a class on Creativebug about fabric design.
I did a lot of research and started experimenting with techniques such as raster versus vector, and it took me over a year to figure out what my style was and what technique fit that style. I always came back to watercolor painting, which is my favorite medium, so I decided to do raster-based work to keep the painting’s texture, which is what I love about watercolors.
Do you have a favorite portfolio design or client collaboration?
I haven’t had any surface design collaborations yet, but I have been selling my designs on Spoonflower. I have also done some freelance design work, including making logos for a cheesemaker’s website and a music duo, which were fun projects.
What or who are you inspired by?
I am inspired by nature. My best work is done based off of an actual plant or scene that is in front of me. I am also inspired by all the other entrepreneurial women who are out there doing what they love and earning a living off of it. That is what I aspire to do.
Do you have resources you’d like to recommend?
For business, I use the Notion app to organize everything. And for inspiration, one of my favorite art-related books is Broad Strokes: 15 women who made art and made history (in that order) by Bridget Quinn with beautiful illustrations by Lisa Congdon.
What advice would you give to surface designers who are struggling?
Keep trying new things. If one thing doesn’t work or is no longer serving you, give yourself permission to switch it up and go a different direction. I have changed my path many times and allowing myself to explore has kept me from getting stuck.
What do you like to do outside of surface design?
When I’m not in my studio, I love spending time outdoors hiking, playing with my sweet dogs, and doing home workouts on my porch. Another of my side-crafts is food; I love making elegantly arranged entrées, decorating cakes, and weaving pie crust. I also work part-time at a frame shop and gallery.
When you look back at your design journey so far, what are you most proud of?
One of my most proud and affirmative moments was at my first gallery exhibition in May 2024. It was a lot of work to prepare for the exhibit and it was amazing to hear feedback from the community. I am also proud of my perseverance towards making my dreams into my reality.
Where can we find you?
Website: noemisalome.com
Spoonflower: @noemisalomedesign
