Our Story
Hello, Bonjour from Isabelle & Melanie. Welcome to La Source Australia - The Source of Inspiration!
We’re a mother-daughter artist duo based in Sydney, creating colourful, nature-inspired art and gifts that bring together our French heritage and our love of Australia.
Since 2010, we’ve been creating playful artworks inspired by the wildlife, native flora and landscapes around us, each with its own little story to tell. What began as Isabelle’s vision for an eco-friendly art studio has grown into a close creative partnership between mother and daughter, with Melanie joining the business in 2013 and bringing her own contemporary perspective.
From these original artworks, we create a collection of gifts designed to bring a little joy into everyday life.
Meet Isabelle & Melanie
Isabelle Boreham - The Mother
Parisian-born Isabelle trained as a textile designer in Paris before working in London and New York. She moved to Australia in the 1980s, where she went on to work for Bonds Australia, including on the Sydney 2000 Olympics.
In 2010, Isabelle founded La Source Australia, combining her background in textile design with her love of Australian nature and wildlife.
Inspired by artists such as Henri Rousseau and by her own time spent in nature, Isabelle begins each artwork with a sketch. Her bold, characterful creatures and colourful landscapes bring Australian stories to life with a distinctly playful and imaginative style.
Melanie Beresford - The Daughter
Melanie is a practising artist with a Masters of Fine Arts in Painting and Drawing from COFA, UNSW, and has exhibited her work in more than 50 exhibitions across Australia.
She joined La Source Australia in 2013, bringing her own contemporary eye and artistic perspective to the collection. Today, Isabelle and Melanie work side by side, creating each piece from start to finish — from painting and printing to finishing, packing and sending our work out into the world.
For Melanie, her greatest sources of inspiration are her two daughters, Juliette and Florence.
Inspired by Australia
Our work celebrates the Australia we love - its extraordinary colours, landscapes and sense of place.
We’re proud to have our work stocked by leading museums, galleries and cultural institutions across Australia, and to create special collections that celebrate Australian stories. We’ve collaborated with the Australian Museum and National Museum of Australia on exclusive collections inspired by Australian wildlife, natural history and culture.
In 2025, this led to our becoming official licensees of the Sydney Opera House Trust, creating exclusive artworks and gifts celebrating Australia’s most iconic landmark, with royalties from every sale supporting the Trust.
Thoughtfully Made in Australia
We’re committed to making our collection responsibly, supporting Australian printers, makers and suppliers wherever we can. Most of our products are designed, printed and hand-finished here in Australia.
We choose materials thoughtfully, including 100% recycled paper, recycled fabrics and sustainably sourced eucalyptus wood printed with eco-friendly inks. We use recycled packaging and have significantly reduced plastic across our range.
We also produce in small print runs to minimise waste and avoid overproduction. Wherever possible, we design our products to be enjoyed for longer - like our greeting cards, which can be reused as bookmarks.
Made to Travel
Whether you’re heading overseas, visiting friends interstate or sending a little piece of Australia to loved ones abroad, our gifts are made to travel beautifully.
Nearly everything in our range is under 100g and designed to pack flat — making our gifts light in your luggage, easy to post and kinder on the environment.
From art prints and greeting cards to tea towels, magnets and wooden ornaments, our creations are easy to tuck into a suitcase or slip into an envelope.
We love creating gifts that can travel far and wide — a small, thoughtful reminder of Australia to take home, share with someone special or send around the world.
A Little Piece of Australia, Made with Love
From our studio in Sydney, we’re lucky enough to spend our days drawing, painting, designing, making and packing things that we hope bring a little happiness to people here in Australia and around the world.
Thank you for supporting our small, family-run studio and for helping us share our love of Australian art, nature and storytelling.
Isabelle & Melanie xx
La Source Australia acknowledges the Dharawal people as the traditional owners of the land upon which our studio stands, and recognises their continuing connection to land, waters and culture.