From strawberries and dinosaurs to embroidery and Australian summer leaves, this year’s QArt Christmas cards are as individual as the artists who created them.
Seventeen QArt artists will have their work shared across Australia this festive season as part of the studio’s annual Christmas card collection.
Each artist has created their own design for the 2026 range, using everything from painting and drawing to embroidery, digital artwork and mixed media.
The Christmas cards have been part of QArt for around 15 years and have grown to become one of the studio’s biggest income streams, with approximately $14,000 worth of cards sold last year.
Sales help support the ongoing running costs of the studio and the artists’ creative practice, while also giving artists an opportunity to experience what happens when their artwork becomes a commercial product.
Work on the annual collection begins months before Christmas, with artists starting to develop their ideas around July.
Every QArt artist is given the opportunity to create a design, researching imagery and concepts before experimenting with different creative approaches and mediums.
Studio Supervisor Gordon Hayward said the process gives artists experience across different stages of working as an artist, from developing the initial idea and preparing their artwork for reproduction to seeing the finished cards reach customers.
Rather than following one theme, the collection is designed to reflect the individual interests, personalities and creative styles of the artists.
This year, that has resulted in 17 cards that offer very different interpretations of Christmas.
“I think that is one of the most exciting things about the range. There is something very personal behind every card,” Gordon said.
For Ashlea Sergakis, the idea for her card came from a familiar part of Christmas with her family.
Her design features embroidered strawberries inside a Christmas bauble, bringing together her love of embroidery with memories of strawberries being brought home for the family Christmas table.
“My design got inspired by strawberries that is unique and reminds me of Christmas and the time I spend with my family, as Mum gets strawberries from the strawberry farm for the Christmas table,” Ashlea said.
Henry Deakin combined two very different interests for his card, bringing his fascination with prehistoric Australian wildlife into the festive season.
Australian dinosaurs have become an important part of Henry’s artistic style, and his Christmas design transforms one into a colourful festive character filled with snowmen, Christmas trees, candy canes, presents and a snow sled.
“It is a big ego boost as a creative to be able to see your artwork and the excitement it creates,” Henry said.
Other artists found inspiration in nature, family, faith and familiar Christmas traditions.
Mimi Varasdi used flowing inks and rich greens, blues, purples and earthy tones to capture the colour and energy of an Australian summer, while Shelby Gardner used bright colours and loose shapes inspired by watching leaves move in the summer breeze.
Lisa Hine used her love of embroidery to tell the Christmas story through colourful stitched flowers, with three tall orange flowers representing the Three Wise Men travelling together to welcome the birth of Jesus.
Sarah Gibson also reimagined a familiar Christmas symbol, filling the silhouette of a Christmas star with her distinctive patterns, flowing lines and vibrant colours.
Shelby hopes people feel that same sense of connection when one of her cards arrives in their letterbox, saying she wants her artwork to bring “joy, happiness and sharing the moment with family and friends.”
For the artists, the project does not finish when the artwork leaves their hands.
The process gives them an opportunity to see their original work prepared for reproduction, turned into a finished product and eventually purchased by people who will send it to family, friends and colleagues around Australia.
For Gordon, that final part of the process is what makes the annual collection particularly meaningful.
“The artwork does not just represent Christmas, it represents the individual artist,” Gordon said.
“When someone sends one of these cards, they are sharing an original piece of creative work made by a QArt artist with their family, friends, or clients.”
With 17 different designs in this year’s collection, every card is a small window into the person who made it.
Explore the 2026 QArt Christmas card collection and support QArt artists this Christmas.