Aimee Stewart Artist Interview

In our Positively Puzzling autumn/winter edition we were excited to have the chance to chat to a puzzle legend, Aimee Stewart. In the feature we talked what inspires Aimee’s work and about her love of foxes. We had so many questions for Aimee that we couldn’t fit them all into Positively Puzzling, but here you can find out more about her design process, her love of puzzles and take a sneak peek inside Aimee’s studio.

Aimee: In general, every piece starts in the same way. Once I have the idea—whether it arrives gradually or in a sudden flash of inspiration—I dive headfirst into research. I absolutely adore it. I’ll spend hours exploring historical archives, the public domain, vintage scrapbooks, and antique ephemera—anything and everything that can help me bring this idea to life.

Once I’ve gathered all my assets, the real magic begins: a dance between my imagination and technology. I work on a display, which gives me limitless creative freedom to draw, paint, and build photo montages. I also incorporate 3D elements, scanned images, and my own photography. I’ve been passionate about photography since I got my first Nikon FM10, and I love incorporating my own stock photos.

It’s this wonderful mix of passions—history, storytelling, photography, traditional and digital art—all coming together. I keep working and shaping the piece, letting the story unfold.

Are there any essentials to your design process?

Aimee: The biggest essential to my design process is that it has to feel fun and magical for me. My studio is my private wonderland—whimsically curated to inspire me the

moment I walk in. It’s filled with colour, detail, and little treasures that might seem chaotic to others, but for me it’s the perfect environment to spark creativity. I light candles, play music, and surround myself with textures and objects that delight me. That atmosphere helps me stay in the flow and create art I would personally want to buy.

Another essential ritual happens outside the studio. I often start my day with a visit to a thrift store or antique shop. I roam the aisles slowly, taking in everything. Each object I see tells a story—sometimes a single item will spark an entire new idea. The folks at my local shops all know me well because it’s such a regular part of my routine. Those little adventures set my imagination spinning in the best possible way.

Aimee: I do!! I’ve loved puzzles all my life. When I was growing up, it was a tradition every winter for my mom to bring out the card table so we could sit and work on puzzles together. Now, I usually have one going at my studio, and my family enjoys putting them together too!

I do have to be careful, though, because I know my images so well that I can find pieces lightning fast. When my family is struggling to find a particular piece, I’ll casually pluck it out and pop it in place, and they will give me some epic side-eye! Or sometimes they’ll invite me to finish a tricky section, and I’ll just zip through it like the smarty-pants I am, haha! I also collect vintage puzzles, particularly from the late 60’s - early 70’s. I adore Mod and Psychedelic style puzzles!

I’ve even thought about timing myself someday, just out of curiosity, to see how quickly I could put one of my own puzzles together.

Aimee: There are so many authors I adore!! But if I have to choose, from classic literature I adore Charles Dickens. For fellow Dickens lovers, that probably comes as no surprise. He was notorious for being a literary maximalist—his stories are overflowing with detail, vibrant characters, intertwining plotlines, and subplots. In a way, the way I pack my puzzles with little treasures and layers feels a bit like how Dickens orchestrated his novels.

In contemporary literature, my favourite author hands down is Nick Bantock, creator of The Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin and Sabine. I fell in love with that series in the early 90s. What’s magical about Nick is that he’s equally an artist and an author—he illustrated all of his books, creating a mysterious, gorgeous immersive experience.

Years after I first discovered Griffin and Sabine, I had the incredible opportunity to take creative workshops with Nick, and he and his wife are now dear friends of ours. One of the highlights of my life was traveling to Spain for a 10-day creative workshop of his, with an amazing group of women. What I learned there still reverberates throughout my creative life!

Aimee: They would definitely see it if they visited my art studio! It’s like stepping into one of my puzzles come to life. In fact, when people visit me there for the first time, they usually make it a couple of steps inside, then stop dead in their tracks, jaws dropped, just trying to take in the maximalist carnival of eye-candy!

The best way I can describe it is this: take all the color, all the disco balls, all the kitsch, and mash them together in a glorious mix of roller-skate party, circus sparkle, boho vintage queen, and eclectic curiosity cabinet collector. That’s my studio—a 2,000-square-foot space of mirth, magic, and mayhem.

My home, on the other hand, is a toned-down version of that energy. It’s more elegantly eclectic. My husband and I mix art pieces we love with mid-century modern elements, vintage pottery, and little pockets of whimsy like collected sea glass, antique architectural elements, and Moroccan lanterns. While it’s not as visually explosive as my studio, there’s a definite thread connecting the two spaces—you’d know instantly they belong to the same person.