Many people ask why I make embroideries instead of painting, which wouldn’t take nearly as long. True, but my threads – from coarse linen yarn to the thinnest of silk – help me express exactly what I want.
Creating an embroidered image can take months. I sometimes get stuck and put my work aside, before trying again until I get it right.
I began to work on embroideries when I was young, but it took me a while to find my own style and technique. A turning point was meeting textile artist Ulla Schumacher-Percy, who became my teacher, mentor and close friend.
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I draw my inspiration from many things and especially travel; embroidery is an ancient craft still practiced worldwide. Living in Singapore for several years, I had an opportunity to travel throughout Asia. That gave me new perspectives.
But there is one place on Earth that continuously nourishes me: the Baltic island of Öland with its barren Stora Alvaret limestone plain. It gives me an eternal source of inspiration from which I can draw.
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Photo: Ulf Huett