Based in Auckland, Sophie Watson balances art and craft tutoring with illustration work and her own artistic projects. A restless experimenter by nature, her varied interests feed into a diverse practice which encompasses painting, drawing, printmaking, paper craft, collage, 3-D works, textile art and making zines. These disparate media are united through a characteristic wonky charm, deft touch and vibrant, considered colour palettes. Watson has been painting with gouache for ten years and remains interested in the possibilities of the medium. In recent years, her work has featured elements of collage as a way of bringing a malleable playfulness into her practice. Watson’s Wallies and Friends are a nod to Staffordshire dog figurines or Wally dugs — matching pairs of pottery dogs which became a popular mantelpiece decoration in 19th-century UK homes.

In 2018 Sophie Watson was awarded a Studio One Toi Tū Creative Studio Residency to assist her in completing two illustrated book projects. Her zines have won ‘Best of the Fest’ awards at the Auckland Zinefest and her comics were featured in Three Words: An Anthology of Aotearoa/NZ Women’s Comics.