Daniel Heath

Wallpaper maker

©Alun Callender

Nicolò Zanatta ©Michelangelo Foundation

The storyteller of screen-printing

Daniel makes bespoke wallpapers, textiles and interior surfaces
He enjoys teaching screen-printing at universities and in his studio
His work features in 2015 book Makers of East London

As a child, Daniel Heath was “obsessive” about drawing, and took inspiration for his sketches from BBC wildlife presenter David Attenborough’s nature programmes. He discovered textiles during a foundation year at art school, and loved the process of applying his illustrations to something that “wasn’t just an art piece for art’s sake”. However, unable to afford to print on silks or fine fabrics as a student, he started to print wallpapers instead. He now works out of his studio in London, where he still makes bespoke wallpapers but has also diversified into textiles and hard surfaces, using a mix of traditional and digital printing techniques to transfer his artistic vision onto cushions, tables, mirrors and even reclaimed slate tiles.

Interview

©Alun Callender

©Alun Callender

Where do you get ideas for designs?: Nature is very inspirational to me. But it’s anything that I think I can be interested enough in to get stuck into. I like to tell stories through the design, so then you have all these engaging narratives that you can hopefully talk to your customers about.
How does technology inform your work?: Silk screen-printing is the artisan side of what I do, but it would have been harder to move into other applications without technology. I use lasers and print on wood using a digital printing machine, but it’s all mixed in with traditional processes like sanding and lacquering.
What aspect of your work do you love most?: Drawing can be great when you land on something that’s working and going really well. You can have days of not quite achieving what you want, but when you get it right, it’s brilliant. The other great moment is when you print and think ‘yes, that really works’.
What do you get out of teaching workshops?: I’ve always been quite transparent about the making process. It’s really nice to invite people into the studio and engage them with what I am doing. They love it, and it’s nice to have them understand the passion I have for what I do.

Daniel Heath is a master artisan: he began his career in 2005 and he started teaching in 2007