Hi, I'm Nakia Matthewson. An Australian-born artist, designer and creative director living in Joshua Tree, California.

My name, Nakia, is Native American Indian and means free as a bird, which feels pretty fitting. I grew up in Australia, spent eight years in London and have called the US home for over a decade. Music, art, travel and the freedom to find my own way have always been part of who I am.

For over 24 years, I've built an award-winning career in design, art direction and creative direction, working across music, film, luxury brands and the wider creative industry. I've collaborated with some of the world's leading agencies, brands and independent creatives across Australia, the UK and the US.

A few highlights along the way include leading the creative team as Head of Creative at Ministry of Sound's record label in London, alongside work with Sony Pictures Television, Sony Music, Harrods, award-winning international agency McCann, and Australian creative agency Chil3, where I had the pleasure of working with award-winning designer, founder, and typography guru Becky Chilcott.

These are just a handful of the incredible teams and creative minds I've had the privilege of working with and learning from throughout my career.

In 2012, I founded Summer Moon & Co. in East London, a creative studio and music booking agency that brought together two things I've always loved: music and design. I spent years shaping visual identities and booking tours for bands, particularly within the psychedelic rock, garage and punk scenes. That world has always been a huge part of my life and continues to influence the work I make today.

After years of moving, traveling and creating, I found myself in the Mojave Desert.

The landscape, the silence, the strange beauty and the incredible people who call this place home. I finally found my own little piece of paradise. A place that felt like everything I'd ever dreamed of. And it was here that my paintings really began to take shape.

My artwork is a love story with the desert.
A ritual of repetition.

I'm drawn to painting the same figures and forms over and over, watching each one become something entirely its own through marks, color and texture. Sometimes even the desert itself finds its way into the paint.

Each piece is hand-painted, imperfect and original. Connected, but never the same. There's an independence in the solitary figures. A quiet strength and resilience, a sense of freedom and finding your own way.

Made with love in the Mojave Desert.

Nakia xx