BEHIND THE SCENES

artist drawing
artist coloring artwork
artist coloring artwork

THE FRAGRANCES

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lush life icon

LUSH LIFE

Fresh papaya and delicate freesia bloom together with violet petals and musk to create a bright, fruity LUSH LIFE fragrance that transports you to a tropical island in no time!

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CITY ALLURE

Refreshing, rich bergamot mingles with juicy white peach and warm amber glow, blending together into a sparkling, invigorating CITY ALLURE fragrance that transports you to a buzzing city in a matter of seconds.​

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DOWNLOADS

Inspired by our new Spray & Play fragrances.

MOBILE WALLPAPER

Save these beautiful wallpaper designs to use as phone backgrounds.

phone background design
phone background design

COLORING SHEETS

Show us your coloring skills with our downloadable Spraycation coloring sheets! Post your finished work on social and tag @sexyhair.

lush life coloring sheet
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city allure coloring sheet
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Q&A WITH @ROEQIE​

I’m a Dutch-Egyptian illustrator, living in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. In 2005 I graduated from the Willem de Kooning Academy of Visual Arts. I’ve worked as a teacher of fine arts, ran a creative workshop company called Fris Projecten for 6 years and started to really focus on creating my own illustration works about 4 years ago.

I can find inspiration for my work in lots of different things; a movie, an exhibition in a museum, or a city or country I visit. Sometimes I paint scenes that remind me of travels of my childhood, for example to Egypt or Spain. There is an overwhelming amount of beautiful patterns hidden in trees, flowers, in buildings, walls, everywhere……just waiting to be discovered by whoever is able to spot it. I have found beautiful colours and patterns in places where you’d expect it, like the Alhambra in Spain and Le Jardin Majorelle in Morocco, but also in unexpected places like an old wallpaper shop in Belgium, a quiet city park in Spain, or in an industrial museum in Hungary.

For these designs, I was very much inspired by the city of Sevilla in Spain and the town called Vejer de la Frontera in the south of Spain are the primary source of inspiration. In Sevilla there is this incredible mixture of contemporary Spanish culture and the former Arabic Moorish culture that can still be found in different aspects of the Spanish Andalusian culture. For instance, in the architecture, with its beautifully decorated buildings and interiors, and of course in the rich cuisine. The south of Spain has an amazing mixture of European and African landscape, with its warm atmosphere and the specific smell of flowers, plants and of course the food.

My work hasn’t substantially changed over the last years with regards to the colour palettes and the topics I address in the works. What has changed however, is the materials I use. In the beginning I used primarily markers and now I use more and more gouache. Also, I now not only use paper, but also ceramics, like vases. Sometimes the scenes I make change a little in perspective; from more close-up views to zoomed-out panoramic views. Some elements are always present, like nature (trees, flowers, wildlife, animals) and some level of buildings or structures (buildings, city scenes), mostly with one or more female figures with richly decorated clothing.

My favourite vacation destination…In the last 5 years I’ve visited several old cities in Andalusia (a region in the South of Spain where there is a lot of beautiful old Arabic architecture), and Morocco (Marrakech) and Turkey (Istanbul). I get lots of inspirations from these cities, of all the architectural, cultural and floral wealth. Right now, Marrakech is still my number 1 city – so vibrant, so lively, full of sound, smells, and of course an abundance of beauty in architecture, patterns, and ancient arts.

I first thought of pursuing a career in art at high school. I’ve loved painting since I was a little girl. But at high school we had an amazing art journey to Paris, Florence and Venice. We visited a lot of museums, and I was so impressed. I fell in love with Monet, Gaugin and Picasso. That was when I started dreaming of being an artist. But being half Dutch, half Egyptian, the practical, rational part in me thought: “But I’ll never be able to make a living out of that”. So, it took a good number of years and other career moves before I finally decided to take the jump and become a fulltime artist.

I would describe my style of art as a mixture of rich colours, vibrant patterns, set in an eclectic mixture of Western and Arab cultures, always with a strong feminine presence in it. It displays hints of a hidden inner world, covered in an abundance of colours, smells and sounds. That goes for both the city scenes, the landscapes as well as the women in them. There is always that aspect of duality in my work, with its roots in my bi-cultural background.

I’ve seen some pretty amazing responses to my work, mostly from when it reminds them of a specific person, place or situation that meant a lot to them. From a dear mother that passed away long ago, to an island where they used to live in their childhood. Art can bring up amazing memories and emotions, and it really is in the eye of the beholder. Also, what still amazes me is that so many people around the world, from Singapore to Mexico, have prints of my illustrations hanging in their houses, in bedrooms, baby rooms and bathrooms. Really private locations, where they allow my work to be a part of their life. Which they look at every day and enjoy. At least, that’s what they tell me 😊. I still think that’s amazing.

Some fun and/or quirky facts about me:

  • I always drink decaf coffee because I can’t sleep when I’ve had any drinks with caffeine, even in the morning.
  • I live in the city center of Rotterdam, close to the city Zoo. If I walk a few blocks from my house, and the wind is right, you can sometimes hear the lions roar…
  • I love Spanish Netflix series, I just adore the passion and the drama in them.
  • I hate rain. But I also live in the Netherlands. Yes, that’s a bad combination 😉
  • I’m scared of spiders and wasps. If I’m having a drink on a terrace in the summer, and a wasp swarms by, I’m likely to jump up in panic and run across the whole terrace screaming. At least it makes for good entertainment, I guess.

When I’m going on a vacation i like to wear my hair down; I have mid-long black curly hair, in which I only put some curl mousse usually. At night, when I go out for dinner and drinks, I then add some hairspray to add more volume and make it firmer.