Meet Neryl Walker … representing retro Australia

NERYL WALKER is an illustrator and artist based in Melbourne, Australia who loves to draw women. Sassy, voluptous, scantily clad retro women. She is a frequent commenter on the blog. I also keep an eye on her flickr photostream and in particular, I think that her vintage / around the house set is really inspiring.  Her home seems really happy, livable – peppered with  eclectica – but not overly so.  Just right. And wait until you see her bathroom. Sablemable, get out your smelling salts.  Read on to learn about Neryl and her retro aesthetic with an artist’s eye…

Isn’t it fabulous? Deco. Neryl, are those large glass tiles on the wall? Ala Carrera glass?

Here is our cross-continent dialog:

Why the fascination with bosoms?

Ha!  I’m not sure how I became the boob girl.  I grew up in a small country town with three sisters and we spent a lot of time drawing women, watching old 50’s movies and drawing their outfits. I’m also fascinated by girlie magazines, particularly from the 50’s and 60’s.  I’d like to think that I am reclaiming these images and empowering them. My girls might be naked but they are in control and having fun.

Tell us about your house and your retro aesthetic.

Our house is a slightly Deco flat-roof that was built in the early 50’s.  It has lots of original features including concealed lighting and interior wrought ironwork.  We fell in love with the original pink and green bathroom and decided it was the house for us!  My partner and I both love vintage and have collected stuff for years. All our furniture has had a life before us and we love the patina of a vintage piece. Our aesthetic is mid century modern, eclectic and offbeat.

What’s the retro-scene like down under?

There’s been a big shift to secondhand and vintage in Australia. It’s an alternative to modern mass production as well as an aesthetic statement. It’s getting harder to find pieces in thrift stores now as collecting becomes more popular, but the vintage stores make it easier to find good pieces.

Finally, as an artist what tips do you have for retro renovation readers to add vitality to their home interiors?

Colour!  Whether it be the wall colour or lots of interesting art, or objects.  I don’t think anything is off limits when decorating your house, the more unusual the better. Grouping similar objects is good also when you have a lot of stuff!

Here are Neryl’s websites:

• www.neryl.com
• nerylwalker.blogspot.com/

Thanks, Neryl!