About the Creatrix

Creating gives me joy!

It started in Switzerland, where I trained as a glass painter at the École de Vitrail et de Création, graduating in 1996 with a passion for the ancient craft of leadlighting and an eye for colour that had far bigger plans than a single art form. Glass painting, slumping, and fusing came naturally, and clay sculpting, modelling, and painting weren't far behind.

Nearly thirty years ago, New Zealand stepped in and quietly became home. Trading my Swiss roots for a Kiwi life, I went back to the books, earning a Bachelor of Arts & Media and a Graduate Diploma in Teaching. I majored in visual arts and design, was awarded distinction for studio work that ranged from screen-printing to photography to digital design, and eventually found myself shaping young minds as a Fashion Design Teacher.

Turns out, a lifetime of collecting skills, passions, and creative pursuits leads somewhere rather wonderful. For me, it led to Yaël:Design — where fashion, art, and an endlessly curious artistic spirit collide.