My name is Dakota, and I am an all-round creative/painter/artist based in Brisbane, Queensland. Originally from Melbourne, I moved to Brisbane in 2019 for a change of scenery and new adventure! My home decor, clothing and life has always been filled with loud, bold, bright colours, walls full of art, unusual collectibles and signature pieces of furniture that bring me joy and happiness. Plants als
o feature heavily around my home but I was struggling to find anything in the shops that was original and unique and would suit my house. I was buying so many lush green plants and was sick of neutral, beige, or white posts to put them in. After lamenting to my sister about this, she suggested I paint my own! Whilst I have always been creative, painting or drawing was not a talent I’d ever associated myself with. So, with nothing to lose, I started out sitting around my sister's pool area over summer with some children's art paints, cheap brushes, some dirty plastic pots, and no idea of what I was about to unleash. After a few Instagram and Facebook posts showing everyone what I was painting, and loads of positive encouragement, surprise, and amazement that I had a flair for this, I felt encouraged to keep experimenting with new pots, paint and styles. COVID-19 put a halt to my full-time job in March 2019 for the foreseeable future, so I decided to give my art some serious attention, and so, Miss Dakota’s Garden was born! I am now back working fulltime, so I paint in my spare time in my studio/office at home and source the pots from all over. I love upcycling existing pots and giving them a new life, but I also use new pots, made from recycled plastic, fibre clay, terracotta, or cement. I am constantly inspired by the natural environment, Australian birds and flowers, cutesy cartoons, abstract art, fabrics, textiles, 1950-1980 patterns, Scandinavian folk art, animals, marine life, flowers, insects/bugs and pretty much anything that has colour and shape.
