Publisher Textiles is one of Australia’s few traditional in-house Hand Screen Printing Studios founded in 2002. We specialise and showcase a range of avant-garde handprinted fabrics and hand printed wallpapers. Publisher Textiles offers an exquisite range of individually designed hand screen printed wallpaper and hand screen printed fabric. All of the designs under Publisher Textiles’ roof are firstly hand drawn by Mark, then transferred onto the computer to be put into repeat, the artwork is then photographically transferred on to a screen in our very own dark room and then it is set up and ready to be used to be hand printed onto wallpaper or fabric.

The inks that we print with, are all mixed by hand in our Ink Room. This technique gives us the diversity of offering much more of custom colour designed service to all of our clients. Once the wallpaper is hand printed on our two 20m hand printing tables. It is then put through the heat setter to seal all of the inks onto the wallpaper. Then it is hand trimmed, packed wrapped and ready to go.

 

The Designs from Publisher Textiles:

Mark Cawood (Owner (left)) fell in love with the art form at an early age, whilst working at different hand screen printing companies. This later led him on to his belief that hand screen-printing was an intricate art form and it became his passion to keep this type of art form alive. Nowadays, it is noticeable that hand screen-printing is slowly dying out as digital printing takes over. This is one of the main reasons why Publisher Textiles is what it is, and why he is here, doing what he does.”Why don’t they make things the way they used to??” Mark Cawood CEO Publisher Textiles, May 2011.

Mark’s first big project in 2002, which launched Publisher Textiles onto the wallpaper market was designing bespoke ostentatious wallpaper for a new up and coming nightclub in Darlinghurst called “Ruby Rabbit”. Although a challenging first project; as he had never played with wallpaper before, it was a huge learning curve and became a success. This wallpaper spurred the birth of what Publisher Textiles was to become. The bold use of colours, graphics and design used in this first wallpaper ever designed by Mark, seems to remain the signature for Publisher Textiles to this day.

Mark Says: “Establishing an overall direction or concept usually derives itself from something that I like, or something that interests me; people, sci-fi, geometric, floral, nature, art-nouveau, music…the list goes on! The first stage to a collection is purely selfish, the second stage is slowly developed with how the customer might respond to the design (almost making it customer friendly!!) that I have created, and thirdly the design is a happy medium with what I like, and what the customer bites!” Mark Cawood, Interview with Yellow Trace Blog, May 2011

Ruby Rabbit, 231 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst, Sydney

Hoochie Mama Cafe, Newtown

 

Rockpool Bar and Grill, Hunter Street, Sydney

The Codfather Seafood Bistro, Stanmore

Cafe Salina, Bronte

La Grande Bouffe, Balmain

Coco Cafe, Parramatta

The Design Influences:

When I was a young impressionable artist at 18, I travelled to Europe for the first time; I was overwhelmed by the architecture of homes, castles, galleries and the style of people. In Europe there is no limit to how something looks – it could look grotesque, flamboyant, outrageous, but I found that it all seemed to work and I liked that there were no restrictions. In addition this type of experience created a perspective that can be seen in my work today. In terms of artists, William Morris is a huge influence on my work. I love the way that every one of his colours stands out from one another, yet the overall pattern undoubtedly works. Maurits Escher and Koloman Moser are also another two of my favourites – their work stressed the importance of symmetry and repeats; this is crucial for my work when I am printing meterage. I follow these traditional artists as I feel that they perceive the core method of how hand screen-printing is accomplished. Mark Carwood, May 2011, Interview with Yellow Trace. Mark’s motivation for art in its truest form, and his use of old age printing techniques, creates unique pieces with a handcrafted textural element. These techniques have created a niche in the market for a ‘way of life’ attitude to design.

The Story of the Artist:

Mark started his career as an impressionable 18 year old artist, looking for an outlet to showcase his designs; what first emerged was a hand-printed, indie t-shirt label out of the garage of his home. In 1992 his horizons widened, and his talents went through a big development phase, while working in a large Sydney based screen-printing company, specializing in ‘Florence Broadhurst’ designs …….. then on to ‘Billabong’ in 1996 as Printing Production Manager for their T Shirt division. A Billabong buyout led to all production being moved off-shore to China (boo-hoo! for Billabong). This move by Billabong proved to be a great catalyst for Mark to re-focus on his own designs. Armed with a load more experience and enthusiasm, he took the brave step of creating his own screen printing factory in a lofty warehouse in cosmopolitan Leichhardt. The vibrant and highly organised factory accommodates two 20 metre printing tables and a studio/shop which is jam-packed full of Publisher Textiles’ wallpapers, fabrics and cushions.