Pawpear founder Kim Whyte: ‘Whatever’s happening outside my windows inevitably finds its way into the work’
Having grown up making her own sketchbooks from scratch, Kim Whyte founded Irish-made paper stationery brand Pawpear in 2022, and in the past three years alone, she’s collaborated with Guinness, Trinity College Dublin’s Book of Kells, and has created dedicated collections honouring Ireland’s ancient seasonal festivals.
After studying Graphic Design at LSAD, Kim Whyte moved to London and worked for years as a stationery designer, creating for clients who shared her love of the handwritten word. On returning to Ireland in 2022—to the colours, words and places that shaped her and those before her—she founded Pawpear.
Each Pawpear collection is an ode to Ireland – its wild landscapes, native language and rich lore. From a small studio in rural Co. Waterford, ideas often begin close to home: a goldfinch outside the window, a stretch of nearby coastline, a flower growing where the wind decides it should.
All designs are illustrated, printed and assembled in Ireland using sustainable materials and local suppliers. From land to language to the lines we handwrite, every Pawpear piece exists to connect people more meaningfully.
Was a career as an artist something you always aspired to?
I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember. Any scrap of paper I could get my hands on became a canvas. When primary school finished for the summer, I’d cut out the blank pages of my copybooks, turn the covers inside out and staple everything into little sketchbooks, filling them with stories and drawings.
I had a brilliant art teacher in secondary school, Bernie Heffernan, who saw something in me and gave me projects to work on in my spare time. I loved every minute of it. When it came to choosing a career path, art school felt like a given – and it was my father who encouraged me to pursue graphic design as a career. I remember asking him, “What’s graphic design?”
Tell us about Pawpear, the Book of Kells collaboration, and your forthcoming Imbolc collection.
Pawpear is an Irish-made paper stationery brand inspired by Ireland’s landscapes, language and lore. It grew from a lifelong love of paper, years working as a stationery designer in London, and a belief that handwritten notes still matter. With instant messaging the norm, a card or letter can feel like a quiet rebellion against the send button – something more human, personal and worth keeping.
Based in Co. Waterford, Pawpear has grown from a one-woman studio into a brand now stocked in over 70 shops at home and abroad. Each hand-illustrated design celebrates a piece of Ireland, printed sustainably so every piece feels as thoughtful as the words it carries.
A recent milestone has been collaborating with Trinity College Dublin’s Book of Kells on Winged Creatures, a collection inspired by the manuscript’s extraordinary animal imagery. I was given access to the digital archive and spent weeks studying the linework and symbolism before reinterpreting four of its otherworldly creatures through an amplified colour palette. It was an incredibly special project – a way of bringing Ireland’s greatest cultural treasure into everyday life through paper and print.
My Imbolc-inspired collection is part of a wider series – an ode to Ireland’s ancient seasonal festivals, along with Bealtaine, Lughnasa and Samhain. Each one draws on the atmosphere and symbolism of these turning points in the year, which seem to resonate more and more deeply now.
What is a day in the life like for you?
I love that no two days are the same. Mornings tend to be for admin and order fulfilment, while I keep afternoons for creative work. My studio is part of my home in rural Co. Waterford, surrounded by fields and wildlife, and whatever’s happening outside my windows inevitably finds its way into the work. As I answer this, two pheasants are trotting past.
Who is someone you look up to in the realm of Irish art?
Sheila Flaherty – we studied together at LSAD, and at the time I had no idea she was such an exceptional painter. Her recent work in oils is so technically accomplished, and so hyperreal, that it’s staggering.
What has been the highlight of your career so far?
Exhibiting with DCCI at Showcase Ireland in the RDS in January, showing my collaborative work with Guinness on one side and the Book of Kells from Trinity College Dublin on the other, was a proud moment. It made me stop and appreciate just how far Pawpear has come in three short years.
What is one thing you wish everyone knew about working as an artist/business owner?
The surprising truth that Excel becomes your friend.
What would you say to a budding artist unsure of their next steps?
Make the work first, even if no one is asking for it yet. Your style and direction only really reveal themselves through doing. Be your own first audience – the work you believe in finds its people.
Kim Whyte’s life in culture
The last thing I saw and loved… Somebody Somewhere – a TV series with Bridget Everett and Jeff Hiller. Absolutely joyful.
The book I keep coming back to… Things I Don’t Want to Know by Deborah Levy. It makes me want to put pen to paper.
I find inspiration in… The edges of this beautiful country, by the water.
My favourite film is… Koyaanisqatsi. It’s perfect.
My career highlight is… Being invited into Guinness’s visual archives to see John Gilroy’s original artworks up close, and the privilege of exploring the 1,200-year-old Book of Kells through its digital archive.
The song I listen to to get in the zone is… ‘Xpander – Live at the Barbican’ by Sasha.
The last thing I recommended is… Punchdrunk’s Viola’s Room (immersive theatre). Outstanding.
I never leave the house without… Kissing my dachshund and German Shepherd on the head.
The piece of work I still think about is… Charles Avery’s The Islanders – an ongoing project, begun in 2004, set in an imagined world with its own inhabitants, systems and strange flora and fauna. I saw it at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art in 2009 and it completely blew me away.
The best advice I’ve ever gotten… Get yourself in the room – then show your mettle.
The art that means the most to me is… Mark Rothko’s Seagram Murals at the Tate Modern. Sitting with them is a meditative experience I’ve never forgotten.
The most challenging thing about being an artist is… The commercial side of things. Balancing creativity with the realities of running a business is a constant learning curve.
If I wasn’t an artist, I would be… Still working with stories in some form – perhaps writing, or working with books and publishing.
The magic of art to me is… The emotional and physical response we have to it, often without fully understanding why.
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