The Secret Garden

This collage got made while I was reading “The Secret Garden” by Frances Hodgson Burnett, what a wonderful book! I tried to capture the enchanting story, the magic of nature and of place, using fabric, paint, paper, transferred images and stitching. The atmosphere is calm due to the muted colours, but at the same time it’s buzzing with life, adventure, and possibilities. 

The piece grew organically during the reading process, which I love. I think I will try this with other favourite books; it’s an intriguing way to make!

Some details : 

Workshop Week 2023

After Sketchbook Revival 2023, I stumbled upon a new challenge : Workshopweek 2023, another bundle of online lessons with an emphasis on drawing. I enjoyed this immensely again : the diversity of the lessons, the enthusiasm of the teachers and of course just doing the practice. So another huge thank you to the to the generous organisers and teachers!

Here are some of the sketches I made:

Sketchbook revival 2023

I really want to improve my drawing skills. That’s why I took part in “Sketchbook revival 2023”, an online event with a lot of free workshops led by almost 30 teachers. Being a novice at most of the techniques taught, I learned so much. I can’t thank the organisers and teachers enough for their generosity! 

These are some of the drawings I made during quite an intense week of workshops:

Calender collage

For my second workshop with Anne Kelly (information on the first one you can find here ) I made these two collages. I used a calender with images of Claude Monet paintings, scraps of cotton fabric, silk fabric, ribbon and different kinds of paper (pages from an old book, illustrations, a paper napkin). I added some drawing, some painting, a bit of ink printing and a few embellishments. The pieces are then completely machine stitched.

This one is about my love for walking and the natural world:

This is a wish for the near future: a summer of reading and peace. Preferably in a beautiful natural setting:

Say it's only a paper moon and stars...

This small piece is my take on the workshop led by Jessica Grady, via Textileartist.org. 

The moon is cut from a page out of an old book. I folded written paper into stars and added some yellow beads. 

The big blot is blue ink. I love that effect, suggesting a dark but not gloomy night.

I’m not sure yet if I’ll cut the edges and leave it in the hoop as a piece of its own or whether I’ll make it into something else.

Sky above, sand below

This is a collage of textiles, paper, pebbles, shells and lots of thread. I used acrylic paint, wax crayons, sharpie, pencil and ink.

it's a sea-themed piece and I loved making it. The different layers of paint have given it extra texture which I find fitting here.