Jay began painting again at a time when she needed something that felt like her own. While recovering from postnatal depression, her midwife encouraged her to do something that brought her back to herself. With a love of drawing from school and a small, practical starting point, Jay taught herself watercolour painting and began creating in a way that felt grounding, manageable and restorative.

What grew from that time was more than a creative practice. It became a way of making sense of tenderness, exhaustion, love and the quiet, fleeting moments of early family life. Jay found herself painting animals that held the same warmth she wanted to feel in her own home, especially for her nursery, where she could retreat with her little one and be reminded to slow down and simply be together.

Her nursery art was born from a wish to create something gentler than the loud, mass-produced décor she kept seeing elsewhere — artwork that would help a room feel calm, loving and lived-in, rather than styled to follow a trend. That same feeling still sits at the heart of her work today: hand-painted pieces with a softened, detailed finish, muted colour palettes and a sense of emotional connection that helps a space feel like home.

Though Jay now also focuses on landscapes, the care behind her nursery collections remains deeply personal. She still believes the best art for a child’s room is art that helps create a feeling: safe, warm, comforting and full of heart.