Pamela Fortin had been creating pen drawings for years when a friend offered to print her illustrations on tea towels. Always eager to learn a new creative skill, she began screen printing her nature-inspired designs, and after positive feedback from an exhibit at her local gallery, she began working in her home studio and launched North Circle Studio in 2015.
Fortin, who grew up in Fairfield and lives there today with his family, enjoys gardening, cooking and taking trips to his family’s camp or to the coast. Along the way, she often jots down inspiration in her notebook to use later in her designs. “I feel so lucky to live in a state where almost anything can inspire an idea,” she says.
She develops her notebook sketches – of ferns, moose, canoes, chickadees, etc. – into dynamic ink illustrations, which she then cleans up digitally. When her designs are complete, she burns them onto the screens used for printing, then she uses eco-friendly water-based ink to print her small batches of functional and beautiful household items, including 100% natural, unbleached cotton tea towels, bags, shopping bags, and napkins.
Recently, Fortin has dabbled in colored inks and fabrics that she dyes herself, and she has introduced many new products for spring. “I’m always on the lookout for designs that make wonderful gifts,” she says, “and are eco-friendly and can be used over and over again.”
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