Bella McGoldrick
Based in Byron Bay, New Zealand-born artist Bella McGoldrick is known for drawings so detailed they appear real—alongside her husband Tyler, she’s building an unconventional, incredibly rewarding, and deeply personal creative career.
Photos TYLER ROGERS & ROB TENNET
‘For me, [inspiration] comes from photo books, books, YouTube, and especially Ty—he’s always thinking, always pushing us to expand our minds.’ Photo: Tyler Rogers
‘My pencil pieces take time—sometimes 100+ hours, building up details layer by layer.’ Photo: Rob Tennet
Health is Wealth by Bella McGoldrick.
“The fact that art has allowed us to have this lifestyle is something I never take for granted.”
Hello Bella—can you introduce yourself?
Bella: I’m an artist from New Zealand, now living in Byron Bay, Australia. I work primarily in pencil and pastels, creating highly detailed, often oversized drawings of objects that hold a story. My career has been a mix of planned and accidental—starting in fashion, moving to New York, getting deported and banned for life (oops), and building a life around making art. My husband, Ty, and I run our business together, and we now have 10-month-old twins. Life is full, but in the best way.
When did art and drawing first make an impact on you?
I always loved drawing, but I didn’t take it seriously until I was in university. I was studying fashion design at RMIT, and while my classmates were sewing, I was sketching. I started selling my drawings—mostly fashion portraits—and realised I could make money from it. That planted the seed.
Your drawings are incredibly detailed and photo-like—can you talk us through the process of how you go about creating one?
It depends on the medium. My pencil pieces take time—sometimes 100+ hours, building up details layer by layer. I work section by section, usually from top left to bottom right, refining as I go. But pastels? Completely different story. With pastels, I can do two pieces a day. It’s fast, loose, and way more instinctive, which has been refreshing. It’s nice having both—pencil for precision, pastel for energy.
Most recently, food has been a subject matter in your work—why are you drawn to it?
Food is so universal and evokes so much emotion. Sometimes, it’s the best way to explain a place—what people eat says so much about their culture and daily life. That said, I’m trying to stay away from food a bit. It’s easy to stay in that lane, but I don’t want to get too comfortable. I want to keep pushing myself into new territory.
How do you balance a young family with maintaining your creativity?
Our studio is in the house, which makes it easy to weave work and life together. Ty and I do a lot as a team, and we have a nanny help during the day so we can focus. We live in Byron Bay, so the pace here is slow—it’s not like New York, where we used to live. We’re not pulling crazy hours. Life is much less intense, which is a nice shift.
One piece of advice you would give your younger self about the journey to where you are now?
You don’t need permission. Just start. No one is going to tell you when you’re ready, and if you wait for the right moment, you’ll be waiting forever.
Where does inspiration mostly strike for you?
Not everywhere. I used to say that, but I’ve realised inspiration needs input. For me, it comes from photo books, books, YouTube, and especially Ty—he’s always thinking, always pushing us to expand our minds. Travel used to be huge for me, but with 10-month-old twins and living in Australia—far from the rest of the world—we’ve had to shift. Lately, we scour 1st Dibs, eBay, and Etsy constantly, looking at furniture, tableware and sculpture. That’s been a big source of ideas lately.
Le Beurre by Bella McGoldrick.
‘[The most rewarding part of what I do] is seeing people connect with the work. When an object or composition resonates with someone in a way I didn’t expect, that’s the best. Also, just the fact that I get to do this full-time—that still blows my mind.’ Photo: Tyler Rogers
“You don’t need permission. Just start. No one is going to tell you when you’re ready, and if you wait for the right moment, you’ll be waiting forever.”
Creme by Bella McGoldrick.
‘It’s easy to stay in that lane, but I don’t want to get too comfortable. I want to keep pushing myself into new territory.’ Photo: Tyler Rogers
A piece of drawing equipment you can’t live without?
My pencil sharpener. Nothing worse than working with a dull point.
The most rewarding part of what you do?
Seeing people connect with the work. When an object or composition resonates with someone in a way I didn’t expect, that’s the best. Also, just the fact that I get to do this full-time—that still blows my mind.
And the most challenging…
Patience. Some drawings take forever, and I have to resist the urge to rush. But also, the financial side of it. Raising a family on art, working so closely with my partner—it’s a lot. Ty left his tech career three years ago to work full-time on the business, and now we support our whole family, work from home, and live a stress-free life (for now, at least—nothing is permanent). It’s hard to quantify how good that feels. The fact that art has allowed us to have this lifestyle is something I never take for granted.
Tell us a little about your book, Visa Issues, which has already sold out its second print run… how are you feeling about the incredible response?
Surreal. Visa Issues isn’t just an art and photobook—it’s my story, too. Writing it forced me to reflect on everything—getting deported, moving constantly, rebuilding my career, figuring out who I was outside of New York. It was equal parts cathartic and terrifying to put it all down on paper. But people really connected with it, which makes it all worth it. Self-publishing (like everything we do) was a total leap. We knew nothing about printing, distribution, any of it. But we figured it out, the way we always do. Having a partner who makes independence possible? Game-changing.
Dream collaboration?
I just worked with Cartier and Glassons—two very different projects, but both fun and rewarding in their own ways.
Right now, I’m really loving YouTube—it’s such a deep collaboration between Ty and me, and it’s been exciting to build something new together. More broadly, I just want to keep thinking bigger. Making sure we imagine this as something that can be as big as I want. This can go far, especially when thinking long-term.
What’s coming up this year that you’re most excited about?
A new collection, tentatively titled Room Service—a mix of objects tied to luxury, travel, and indulgence. Also, I’ve been playing a lot with oil pastels. They’re my newest thing, and I love how fast I can create with them. And YouTube—we’ve been putting a lot of energy into it, and I think we’re getting better. I’m really enjoying having a completely different platform to experiment with.
What do you most love to do in your downtime?
Nights have changed a little since having babies, so now what really gets me gee’d up is a good show, a sweet treat and asleep babies for the night. Drawing is hardly stressful, so my downtime doesn't need to be relaxing. I like holidays with a project, gardening on the weekend, and having friends over for coffees and croissants whenever we can.
To stay up to date with Bella’s work and releases, visit her website or follow @bellamcgoldrick on Instagram.