Hi, I’m Gemma — the artist and founder behind Small Sicilian Studio, a pattern-led, colour-loving creative studio based in Spain.
I create warm, playful artwork shaped by Mediterranean sunshine, tropical maximalism and expressive linework. My patterns blend modern simplicity with characterful motifs, long summers in Sicily, and the kind of imaginative storytelling that naturally appears when you’re designing between school runs and lost water bottles.
I grew up between England and Italy, studied in Bologna, and lived in London and Paris before moving to Spain with my husband, two children and our ridiculously cute micro-maltipoo. Each place shaped my eye for lived-in palettes, coastal motifs, a love of travel, and design that feels warm, human and a little bit magical.
My background spans illustration and design for lifestyle, fashion and interior brands in the UK and internationally. Over time, I found myself pulled toward the slower, more expressive world of surface pattern design — work that blends narrative, colour and ease with a sense of playful refinement.
Today, the studio focuses on surface pattern collections, illustrated motifs and small collaborative projects for brands who love expressive colour, bold-but-elegant artwork and a modern Mediterranean–meets–tropical aesthetic. I’m especially interested in partnerships across lifestyle, resortwear, hospitality and boutique design.
You can explore a curated selection of my patterns here, or dive into my illustrated motif work here.
I also create occasional self-initiated projects — quiet (and sometimes not-so-quiet) experiments that let me explore new ideas, palettes and influences.
Thanks for being here.
Gem x