Thankyou Oonagh Staerck

I want to take a moment to honour my dear Oonagh Staerck and wish her a sweet farewell because she is no longer working for me in the HN studio.

From the moment I met Ooni (which happened to be on the night we had a farewell meal for lovely Emma who was my first long term employee) I knew she was a perfect fit. She knew my work and told me how much she'd love to work for me. I didn't say 'Well as it happens I'm looking for someone right now and please will you be her' straight away even though I wanted to. I thought I'd better at LEAST go home and sleep on it!

It was a good feeling to offer her a job. She was bursting with something special. A quiet curiosity, creativity, organisation, kindness, friendliness...I could go on. But most importantly we just got along really comfortably. And this is important. This person has to be with me in my creative space day in day out...well three of them anyway!

It wasn't long before she was flying around the studio, taking things into her own hands, taming the old laser cutter, wielding a craft knife with precision, writing the most beautiful to do lists and wrapping the neatest parcels. She knew the business inside out and I could honestly have gone away for a year and left her to it.

The next part of the story is sad I'm afraid. In August Oonagh lost her dear sister Emma. She died suddenly, shocking everyone and leaving two young kids, a loving husband and her dear sister and confidante behind. Obviously in that moment everything changed for Ooni.

She is a brave spirit though and over the months that have followed her and her partner have decided to move to Scotland to be close the kids. She did try and pursuade me to bring the studio up there too and then she could keep her job!

We will all miss her greatly.

Ooni has a business of her own too and she is going to be great because she has everything one needs to make a business work. Please go visit Aesmo and buy one (or lots) of her beautiful prints and help her build her new life in Scotland.

Marie Canning took this pic. I'm glad she did because it encapsulates a very happy time x