Patrick Astwood: Gods & Monsters art and design collection

His designs are at the same time both bold and subtle; they draw the eye closer and closer with bright and rich colourways and complicated patterns that fascinate, ready to bring vibrant life to murals, wallpapers, fabrics, lampshades, rugs and standalone wall art. Each design is a grand statement of Patrick’s bravura; his technical elegance and vivid imagination. An imagination that clearly wasn’t satisfied with his original career choice.

‘I worked as a civil servant, in London, for the Department of Trade and Industry,’ he says. ‘I started drawing and painting, experimenting with different disciplines, over several years while working for the DTI – art was the creative escape I needed.

Statement designs from the Gods & Monsters collection, including a darkly dramatic rug, (Image: Kirsty Thompson) ‘I then got into screenplay writing and film, and at 24 wrote my first screenplay. It was a lightbulb moment – this was what I wanted to do.’

Patrick started to write and make short films, and in 2007 wrote and directed a feature film, The Brink, which premiered at The Berlin Film Festival.

‘For quite a while I was still working at the civil service while writing and producing and finding funding for my own independent films, but what came out of that was the realisation I liked writing, but that I had a really strong sense of film and what things should look like; I was very visually oriented.

Silk feather-down cushions form a major element of Patrick’s current collection (Image: Kirsty Thompson) ‘This really set me up for design, and I started heading in that direction, away from film making. I started to learn all the digital design packages and experimented a lot with that, going through different stages of experimentation and through that got into design for print, and about six years ago set up my own label, Zendrun, designing silk scarves.’

The phrase “gods and monsters” comes from the 1935 film, Bride of Frankenstein, when Dr Pretorius, the mad scientist who encouraged Dr Frankenstein to resume his experiments, makes a toast “to the new world of gods and monsters”. It is used to symbolise the duality of creation; the potential for both divine and monstrous outcomes. While Patrick’s designs are far from monstrous, there is an energy to each one that lifts them into a space of their own.

‘I started getting into surface pattern design two years ago. I knew I wanted to keep experimenting and create a platform where I could sell direct to the customer. It was at the end of 2024 I had my idea for Gods & Monsters. I really liked the idea of doing something very visual, very bold. My approach to design is influenced by film, by cinema, and as a result a lot of my work is almost three dimensional; it’s designed to come off the page, off the surface, to be impactful.

Patrick’s bold use of colour adds lift to a neutral living space (Image: Kirsty Thompson) ‘With Gods & Monsters I first started working a lot with mythology, with Greek and Roman gods, then I found myself adding in medieval heraldry, decorative symbolism – even elements of art nouveau – and bold, sumptuous florals.

‘My customers are people who want “talking point” décor. They often say to me “I have a wall and I want something that’s really going to draw attention, create an element of intrigue.” It’s geared towards creating an element of activity within the room. It’s not the kind of thing that is just a background, it’s visual theatre.’

Patrick’s work is available as seen; he can create tweaked versions in alternative colourways; or create bespoke designs, including full-wall murals taken from his artworks.

Patrick’s limited edition canvas prints can also be created as full-wall murals (Image: Kirsty Thompson) Patrick launched the Gods & Monsters collection in February, after moving to Manchester last year.

‘We were living in Bristol but wanted to move somewhere new and came up to visit Manchester with my brother-in-law, who is Mancunian and has a house in Sale. My wife, Emma Foster, studied at Manchester University and always said she’d love to revisit. We decided to move north and visited lots of potential places, touring Lancashire, Yorkshire and up to the North East, but Manchester and Sale just ticked all the boxes. We stayed in Sale for a couple of months, and really enjoyed it, so decided to find our own home here.

‘There’s a vibrant design community here, there’s a lot going on. It has all the buzz of a big city, but none of the stress and pressure.

Designs can be translated across wall art, lampshades, cushions and upholstery fabrics (Image: Kirsty Thompson) ‘Going forward, Gods & Monsters will be a platform where I continue to evolve and experiment. I’ll keep putting out new designs and I’m hoping in the future to have my own print studio, where I can experiment in real time – work not just in digital but with screen printing, work with inks and see what I can produce.

‘What’s brought me to where I am now, as a visual artist, is the power of diversification. It’s hard to build a career as an artist, but creating my art for use across a wide offering – from paintings to surface design to cushions and lampshades… it’s a way for me to reach more people, while still pursuing my art.’

patrickastwood.com

To celebrate summer Patrick has also launched a major new collection of wallpaper designs which are available here:

www.happywall.com/en/designers/patrick-astwood

Bold wallpapers create a talking point (Image: Kirsty Thompson)