The one thing you can predict in life is that the journey will be unpredictable. Colin Hyett’s love of art, colour and pizzazz has, quite literally, led him down the garden path in life. “I grew up on my grandmother’s farm in Tucks Road, Shoreham,” said Colin. “It was a wonderful place and probably where I first fell in love with gardening.”
Colin’s passion, though, was art. He studied fine art at Monash and yearned to establish himself in the art world. “While studying, I got involved in another type of art! I became a pastry chef; something I did for 12 years,” said Colin. “I was fortunate to have been able to work under the great Hermann Schneider at Arthur’s Restaurant, all the while continuing to study; continuing to paint and sculpt.”
Colin’s life journey had more twists in store, and the next twist came after he renovated his home in Frankston South. “Friends would ask me ‘Who did the landscaping?’”, said Colin. “I would say ‘I did’ and would get impressed looks back.” Before long a friend asked him if he would do their landscaping, and then another, and Colin says, “It simply gathered momentum from there.”
Colin now runs a landscaping and design company, Colin Hyett Design, specialising in succulent-based garden design. “It is another form of art. Another form of creativity. The yard is the canvas, and the plants are the colours.” Colin Hyett Design has now completed over 580 gardens, ranging from the smallest courtyard to extensive grounds. “It is wonderful to be able to craft architectural foliage,” said Colin. “I love blending the succulents with indigenous plants and creating corridors of natural foliage to move through.”
After 22 years of landscaping, Colin feels they are more than just paid jobs. Instead, they are relationships, friendships and collaborations; some of which have lasted for two decades. “I’m so fortunate to be surrounded by a huge community of wonderful creatives,” said Colin. “From the sculptural pieces in my landscaping by the wonderful Robert Delves, the architectural lighting by Leisa Wharington, through to the amazing jewellery that I wear by Heart of Bone, the creativity is everywhere.”
I love pizzazz. I love bright and flamboyant. I love the wow factor lifestyle
Colour and substance are important to Colin, in both his work and in his everyday life. “I love pizzazz. I love bright and flamboyant. I love the wow factor lifestyle,” said Colin. The energy is real, inspired by the Hollywood Hills, with nothing left behind. “It manifests in every aspect of my life,” said Colin. “From the jewellery to the bright coloured clothing, it shows through in everything. I love entertaining. I love cooking. If it is going to happen, it is going to happen with a ‘wow’ factor”.
Colin operates an 11-acre wholesale nursery in Balnarring for his landscape business and for the past year, has been operating a retail outlet in Moorooduc’s Studio & Co. “It is a wonderful space, and I am thrilled to be there,” said Colin. “I get to work at the store with my daughter, and we are surrounded by such a fantastic vibe.”
Moorooduc’s hidden treasure, Studio & Co was developed in the old antique store on the corner of Mornington-Tyabb Road and Derril Road. “It is a wonderful place for people to meet, with a great café space, but the artistic energy is just fantastic,” said Colin. Working collaboratively with other outlets at Studio & Co has led Colin back to his first passion; painting, with an exhibition at Kelli Lundberg’s exhibition space. “The exhibition is over, but if you’d like to see more of my art, head to her gallery space, as she has items in her stockroom.”
The artwork won’t surprise you. It is typical Colin Hyett. Colourful and larger than life paintings that delve into “capturing the essence of the natural world while reflecting on humanity’s place within it”. Colin’s paintings represent an experimental approach to materials. Using a mix of oil paints, enamels, and water-based paints, he allows the chemistry of these mediums to dictate moments of unpredictability. The way paint flows, bonds, and repels creates textures and patterns that echo natural processes. Each canvas becomes a living, reactive environment, where Colin’s intuitive gestures mirror the diversity that are at the core of his raison d’être (reason for being).
“I’m an artist, a landscape designer, and a cactus farmer,” said Colin. “It doesn’t get much more diverse than that.”
IG: @ colin_hyett_design_