Briar Hardy-Hesson
Briar is a multidisciplinary artist working under the name Fruit Bowl Studio, crafting a vibrant smorgasbord of jewellery, art, and objects from her cottage in Queensberry. Her work is driven by an appreciation for pattern, colour, and the fantastical—creating pieces that are, in her own words, “a feast for the eyes and the imagination.”
“I make bold, bright pieces with a splash of colour and whimsy that can be lived with on a daily basis.”
Though she studied art through high school and spent a year at Elam School of Fine Arts, Briar considers herself largely self-taught—a born maker with an instinctive approach to materials. Encouraged by process and play, she turns her hand to almost anything: jewellery, sculpture, painting, sewing, printmaking, and photography.
Across all medium, her work consistently explores themes of pattern, organic forms, the human body, and vivid colour.
Fruit Bowl Studio serves as a creative umbrella, giving her the freedom to express her eclectic and ever-evolving visual language—a style she describes as “vibrant, free-spirited, and a little bit quirky, with a touch of romance and occasional objectification.”
Based in Wānaka for over 20 years, Briar has deep family roots in Central Otago. She has exhibited locally while balancing various day jobs, and her jewellery is stocked in a handful of art and design stores around Aotearoa, New Zealand.
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