Partners in Creativity: Drawing the Way

If you've had a good look around our website or visited the farm in person, you'll have seen Drawing the Way's wonderful work dotted around. From a casual request for a farm map in 2015 to becoming a fundamental part of our branding, the watercolour graphic images that represent the unique elements of Wānaka Lavender Farm are loved by customers and staff alike.

Let us share more about the artists and the art that transformed our simple aesthetic to approachable and fun!

The artists

Marce and Lea started their creative journey the instant they met in 2013. Lea loved travelling while Marce was obsessed with drawing; what could have been a better outcome than to combine their hobbies and make a successful business of it?

The couple landed in New Zealand intending to pass through, scribbling snippets of small towns, big cities, and natural environments as they went. In an unsurprising turn of events, Marce and Lea couldn't bring themselves to leave beautiful Aotearoa. They ended up staying and continuing to work together on producing colourful masterpieces and turning their passion into profit.

We are very proud to have been part of their story (if only a small part).

In 2015, Stef and Tim were still new to the lavender farm life but saw potential in Marce and Lea's watercolour paintings. Stef requested a map of our farm be drawn up in their style... and the rest is history!

"This project was life-changing for us. It was our first illustration project, our first client, and the first person who saw our potential. Thanks to this initial project, we continued doing what we love."

"It took us 5 years to breathe and trust in our job, our business, and our capabilities. It was not easy, specially the mental trap. But here we are. Driving around, drawing, painting, and being part of the new rebellious system. The one that does something with their hands, that is offline, and the one that in this AI time chooses to be human."

The art

From a single map to numerous watercolour graphics lovingly made by Drawing the Way, we appreciate the feelings these little paintings bring to our space.

Varieties of lavender, buzzing bees, beekeepers and scarecrows, teacups, tractors, native flowers, as well as different species of resident animals. We have doodles of all of them all specially painted by Mace and Lea for us. They feature on our greeting cards, on our signage within the shop and out on the farm, as well as hiding in plain sight throughout our website and social media.

You can see Marce and Lea's full collection of work on their website. From limited edition original watercolours to fine art prints, they've got something for everyone, with New Zealand at the heart of the art.

(Charlie the Scarecrow did have black boots and hair peeking from under his hat when his painting was originally created. We might need an updated portrait! And give him a general makeover...)