Creative life Behind the art Art in your home Made with friends

Clay Wall Art NZ: My Floral Sunshine with Emy Oikawa

October 14, 2026

Clay wall art, piece by piece: the story of My Floral Sunshine.

Some artworks start with a pencil. This one started with a lullaby, and ended up as a one-of-a-kind clay artwork, made by Wellington artist Emy Oikawa of Eclo Art. Along the way I sat down with Emy for a chat about her art, her story and how she does what she does.

Emy Oikawa making clay wall art at her desk in Wellington

Emy behind the scenes creating clay art.

Where it all began

My Floral Sunshine started life as My Sunshine, a digital artwork I drew for my daughter Mia. I used to sing “You Are My Sunshine” to her every night before bed, and I wanted to capture that feeling in flowers: kōwhai, mānuka and harakeke from home, with cheerful daisies, all wrapped into a circle.

When Emy saw it, she wanted to bring it to life in clay.

NZ artist Anna Mollekin holding her My Sunshine native flower artwork, the inspiration for My Floral Sunshine

Me with My Sunshine, the artwork that started it all.

How we met

Our paths crossed on Instagram. I’d shared a post about supporting fellow artists and designers, someone tagged Emy, and after a look through my work she reached out with the idea of a collaboration between two NZ artists. I’m so glad she did.

Getting to know Emy

Emy’s story is fascinating. She was born and raised in Colombia, with roots in both Japanese and Colombian culture. She first studied industrial design, but art had been calling her since she was little, and she eventually left product design behind to follow it.

She and her partner moved to New Zealand, where they welcomed their two children, and these days she creates from her home in Wellington. She’s a jewellery designer as well as a clay artist, and her journey has taken her all over, including a heartfelt trip back to her Colombian roots after years away.

Emy Oikawa, Wellington clay artist and jewellery designer of Eclo Art.

Where her love of art comes from

When I asked Emy what first drew her to art, she told me it runs in the family, with artists on both her Japanese and Colombian sides. Her mum played a big part in nurturing her creativity growing up. She also finds inspiration in artists and designers from around the world, often discovering fresh ideas on Instagram, and she always finds a way to put her own spin on them.

How Emy makes clay wall art

Emy’s technique is unlike anything I’d seen before. She builds each artwork by placing clay onto a board piece by piece, starting with her fingertips and then moving on to fine tools like spatulas to shape every petal and leaf.

Over the years she’s explored all sorts of subjects, from people to plants to geometric shapes, and her style has become more and more detailed. She’s drawn to pointillism, using tiny dots and circles to build up pattern and texture, and nature is her constant muse. The result is artwork with a depth you just want to reach out and touch.

Emy Oikawa’s coloured clay and tools for making clay wall art

Emy's materials.

Kōwhai flowers taking shape in clay on My Floral Sunshine

Watch Emy bring My Floral Sunshine to life, piece by piece, in the video below.

Why clay is good for the soul

One of my favourite parts of our chat was hearing how calming Emy finds her work. Focusing on all those tiny details is mindful for her. She can lose herself in the creative flow for hours, and she finds the whole process incredibly rewarding. As someone who finds drawing lace the same way, I completely get it.

Emy Oikawa placing tiny pieces of clay by hand

Every petal is placed by hand.

Emy’s journey to becoming a working artist

I also asked Emy how she’s grown her art into a career. She’s always had the support of her friends and family, but she told me the missing piece was knowing how to share her art with the world. Getting the right guidance on how to show her work and reach more people made all the difference, and it’s what helped her turn her passion into her profession. It’s a good reminder that talent is only half of it, and that asking for help is part of the journey too.

Two artists, one artwork

I drew the flowers. Emy recreated them in clay, petal by petal, and through her hands they became something completely new: raised, textured and glowing with colour. In her words, every stroke in the piece symbolises her love for nature, and it represents love for the people close to us too. For an artwork that began as a lullaby for my daughter, that means a lot.

That’s the magic of collaborating. Two artists, two very different ways of working, and together we made something neither of us could have made alone.

My Floral Sunshine clay art in progress with daisies and kōwhai

Daisies and kōwhai coming to life in clay.

It found its home

My Floral Sunshine was finished in September 2023, a 192 x 192mm original piece of clay wall art in non-drying clay framed in natural timber with a Certificate of Authenticity. I’m thrilled to say it has found its forever home, and I hope it brings as much sunshine to its new family as it did to us making it.

Close-up of My Floral Sunshine clay wall art with native NZ flowers

Almost finished, and full of texture.

What’s next?

Emy and I have loved working together, and we’ve got a few more ideas brewing. If you’d like to hear about new artwork as it happens, pop your name on my newsletter. You’ll get a free phone wallpaper of my artwork as a thank you.

In the meantime, you can see more of Emy’s beautiful work at Eclo Art, and follow her on Instagram and Facebook.