In the fog

The connection between me and my artworks is rather abstract or associative. It has to do with thoughts and feelings that arise when I am working. What I am going to create is not determined in advance, and my intuition often provides the basis for the decisions I make along the way. The outcome, the artwork, can therefore be compared to an object in the fog. You can see some contours in the distance and you think you recognise something. This applies to me, the creator, who takes the next step based on this. But the same applies to the viewer, who may recognise something completely different in the object and view the artwork from their own perspective.

I am navigating in an uncertain process

In my process, I often don’t know in advance what I’m going to make. I don’t have a detailed plan or design, sometimes just a rough idea. Usually, I just start sewing without knowing what it will become. While I am working, I rely on the insights I receive. These insights (my intuition) can arise from the work itself, but also from other things (thoughts, feelings, and memories) that occur in my life or that happen to cross my path.

The whole process is an uncertain journey in which I try to find my way. Sometimes it goes easily and fast, but there are also times when it’s uncomfortable and slow. Because I don’t always know exactly where I’m going, I need something to rely on and to keep me balanced.

A matter of trust

In my process, I use materials and techniques that I enjoy and am familiar with. I choose colours and textures that I like, shapes and stitches that I enjoy making, and threads that give clear lines, because that is what I love.

By using familiar components in my work, I give myself something familiar as I enter that unknown world. It is only logical that shapes, colours and lines from the past emerge as I search for a balanced composition. At the moment, this often leads to artworks that look like a map, reflecting the journey of the process.

What’s already there

I like to work with materials that are already there, such as the fabrics I find. I collect them in my studio where they are waiting to be used. I like to work with materials that are familiar to me and I find it important to be able to touch and feel them.

I think I make art with textiles because sewing is a skill I have known for a long time. My mother taught me how to sew when I was a little girl, and since I started making art, I have first refreshed my skills and then expanded them further. Using a needle and thread and sewing by hand is a familiar part of my process. Continuing to build on those skills and learning new techniques is the way for me to develop further and gain new ideas.

The familiar materials and techniques give me a handhold in the uncertain process of creating my artworks. They help me to discover what my work will look like.

"Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere."
Albert Einstein
(1879 - 1955)

Are you curious about why I make art? I’ll tell you more about it in this blog.

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