Meet the Artist: Joëlle Wehkamp
Joëlle Wehkamp brings color and everyday magic to life
Brings color and everyday magic to life
At rice, we love working with creative souls who share our passion for color, imagination, and everyday magic. One of these special people is the Dutch artist Joëlle Wehkamp. With her bold colors and playful energy, Joëlle has been part of the rice universe for over a decade. She is behind many of our much-loved kids’ prints – from the fun fair and jungle to the magical world under the sea. Her hand-drawn universe brings stories to life and adds a spark of joy to every design.
Meet Joëlle Wehkamp
Joëlle lives with her family in a small village just outside Amsterdam, surrounded by nature. Raised in a creative home, she has loved drawing and making things since childhood. After studying textile and fashion design, she worked as a designer before going freelance — a step that helped her find her own voice.
Today, she often works from her garden studio, surrounded by paints, ceramics, flowers, books, and sketches. “It’s my happy place, where ideas flow freely,” she says. It’s also where many of her beloved designs for rice come to life. “My style is colorful, optimistic, and always handmade,” Joëlle explains. “Color is my daily joy — I don’t plan it, it just happens. To me, color isn’t just something you see — it’s something you feel.”
A match made in (colorful) heaven
Joëlle’s collaboration with rice began 13 years ago, at the very start of her freelance journey. “One of the first emails I sent was to Charlotte from rice — and looking back, it felt like a perfect match. I instantly connected with the brand’s joyful, creative universe.”
Their first big project was a collection of bright, bold travel bags — and they’ve been creating magic together ever since. “Working with rice feels like coming home to a like-minded creative family,” Joëlle says. “There’s so much warmth, openness, and a shared love of fun and beauty. Especially with Charlotte (Co-founder and Creative Director at rice), we’re like kindred spirits. We always spark ideas and have fun together.”
A shared belief in everyday magic
When we asked Joëlle what Everyday Magic means to her, her answer was simple and beautiful: “To me, everyday magic is finding beauty and joy in the small things — a warm cup of tea, a spontaneous drawing from one of my kids, the way the light changes in the evening. It’s about slowing down and seeing the extraordinary in the ordinary.”
