Hello and welcome.
I'm Gaby - artist, photographer and an emerging surface pattern designer, based at the foothills of the Snowy Mountains in New South Wales, Australia
Creativity has always been at the heart of my life.
Creativity runs in my family, so it was only natural that from a young age I too started expressing my own creativity. I have experimented with many different processes and mediums over the years and before I began in textile design illustration featured strongly for a long period of time. Then I picked up a camera, and I’ve been capturing snapshots of everyday life, nature walks and country drives ever since - which is also a source of inspiration for my textile designs and art. I love the idea of storytelling through my art and designs, which is slowly becoming more cohesive and will drive the way I work from now on.
Growing up in Sydney I was always drawn to the vibrancy of the markets in Paddington, Glebe and Balmain, visiting regularly before deciding to start making and selling at Glebe markets in the late 1990's. This piqued my curiosity in wanting to elevate product design and ensure professional-grade results, which led me to embark on a journey of discovery through formal study and other creative pursuits that eventually led me to combine illustration, surface pattern design, textiles and making. Starting in my 30's with a Bachelor of Applied Arts - Textiles Major, at the College of Fine Arts, UNSW, I then went on to undertake more tertiary education over the years - including a Certificate III in Printing & Graphic Arts (Graphic Pre-press) in 2009 and Certificate II Printing & Graphic Arts (Screen Printing) in 2012, among other studies, courses and workshops. Whilst always weaving creativity into my life it has never had the chance to be front and centre, always the 'side hustle' while I worked the day jobs in order to meet life's financial obligations, particularly with wanting a home of my own. It seems fitting then, that my two favourite creatives are women who achieved great success later in life: Florence Broadhurst and Rosalie Gascoigne.
Now I'm bringing my creative practice front and centre. From my home at the foothills of the Snowy Mountains, I craft timeless, sustainable pieces for my own brand - Pinch River - an Australian lifestyle brand infusing art into the everyday, creating products that bring joy. Inspired by a lifelong love of creative expression, the world at my doorstep, and the natural environments that I have spent time exploring. Immersing myself in nature grounds me, so it's only natural that this work draws on the Australian landscape, with designs that take inspiration from Australia's unique native flora and fauna.
Adding this portfolio site to the mix I can showcase my surface pattern design library and collections in the making, allowing me to offer designs that break away from the signature Pinch River style. I have big ideas about where I want to take this and I hope you follow along as I bring it all to life. As I start on this journey the plan for this first year is to add lots of new designs to my Spoonflower shop, build a pattern library and create textile collections. The Gaby Tagliapietra brand is a work-in-progress, having just set out on this journey at the beginning of 2026, and don't yet know where it will land in terms of my signature style, but I'm going to enjoy exploring different styles, themes and colours in the process, and bringing you lots of lovely designs. While one of the goals is to become a licensed surface pattern designer, artist and illustrator I don't yet have an extensive portfolio and I am not currently actively seeking licensing agreements. However, if you are an art director or brand and like what you see please get in touch.
You can also find me here: