Kara Rose Marshall
- Jul 22
- 4 min read
Kara Rose Marshall is a London based artist and the founder of Tuft Luck Studio. She modeled for ten years before she started making her own work. In lockdown she bought a tufting gun, and her first piece was the bunny boy from Gummo. Painting came after that. She works mostly in watercolor now, and paints cowboys, women and horses in the earthy colors of the seventies.
In our interview, we talk about why watercolor suits her, how the collaborations with MTV and Levi's come together, and the new collection of textiles she's working on.
Q: You modelled for ten years, then found a tufting gun in lockdown. How did painting grow out of that?
A: Painting actually came after tufting. During lockdown, like so many people, I found myself searching for a creative outlet and came across tufting. I bought a tufting gun and became completely obsessed. It was the first time I'd made something that felt entirely my own after ten years of modelling and bringing other people's creative visions to life. Working with colour, composition and storytelling through textiles gave me the confidence to experiment with painting. I picked up watercolour because it felt like the complete opposite of tufting, and watercolour suits my Pisces traits. Fluid, unpredictable and immediate. Now watercolour is my main medium. I find it so therapeutic and every piece flows differently.
Q: Tuft Luck began with a tufted bunny boy from Gummo. What made you want to try tufting?
A: I stumbled across videos of people tufting during lockdown and couldn't stop watching them. It looked so satisfying and unlike anything I'd ever seen. I'd always loved art, film and design, so it felt like this perfect mix of craft and storytelling. The bunny boy from Gummo has always been an image that stayed with me. It's strange, nostalgic and oddly emotional. It felt like the perfect first piece because it reflected the kind of imagery I was naturally drawn to. I had no expectations at the time. I just wanted to make something, and it ended up changing my life.
Q: Cowboys, women, horses—this whole Western world runs through your work. Where did that come from?
A: I've always been fascinated by the romance and mythology of the American West. It's less about historical accuracy and more about the feeling it evokes. Freedom, independence, longing and adventure. I'm particularly interested in placing women at the centre of those stories, creating a softer and more contemporary perspective within a world that's traditionally been portrayed as masculine. Horses are such powerful, emotional animals too. They represent freedom and instinct, and they've become a recurring symbol throughout my work.
Q: Ochre, burnt orange, dusty pink, olive—your whole palette feels very 1970s. Why those colours?
A: I've always been drawn to warm, earthy colours. They remind me of old photographs, vintage interiors and landscapes that have been bleached by the sun. I think those colours carry a sense of nostalgia without feeling overly sentimental. I never really choose them consciously. They're just the shades I keep coming back to. They feel comforting, timeless and natural, and they create the atmosphere I want people to experience when they look at my work.
Q: Watercolour is hard to control. Is that part of why you love it?
A: Absolutely. I think that's exactly why I love it. Watercolour forces you to let go because you can never fully control where the pigment or the water will move. Some of my favourite paintings have come from moments where I've simply responded to what the paint is doing instead of trying to force it. It keeps the work feeling honest and alive, and every painting becomes a collaboration between me and the medium.
Q: You've made textile pieces with MTV and Levi's. How do those collaborations come together?
A: The collaborations that work best are the ones where there's genuine creative trust. I always want my work to feel authentic, so it's important that a brand comes to me because they connect with my visual language rather than wanting me to become something different. We usually begin with conversations about the story we want to tell, and then I develop ideas that sit naturally within both of our worlds. It's exciting because every collaboration pushes me creatively while still feeling recognisably mine.
Q: You're deep in a new collection of textiles right now. What can you tell us about it?
A: I'm pushing the materials and techniques further while staying true to the themes that have always inspired me. Women, horses and mainly dreamy colours. I'm interested in creating pieces that feel tactile and nostalgic, something people can really live with. It still feels very much like my world, just on a much bigger scale, and I'm really excited to finally share them.
