Nellie my journey, poet's life

underGROWTH: ‘Moss Coloured Glasses’

As I have mentioned in my previous post, I am currently taking part in an eco-art residency with the underGROWTH project in Coventry. Over the next couple of months, I will be exploring the environment through an artistic lens, and creating work inspired by ecology. My portfolio will be focused on those beautiful, intricate organisms I have been so enthralled by recently: mosses and lichens.

My residency will conclude with the production of a final product – a booklet, exploring mosses and lichens through a variety of art forms and perspectives. As the booklet is brought to life, I thought it would be interesting to map my journey here, through a number of blog posts.

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Nellie blog

Blog: (Re)opening my own shop!

My little shop, Handmade by Nellie, has evolved! As sales of my greetings cards went so well last year, and my creative endeavours such as resin crafts are continuing, I have decided to move the shop to a new platform. My hope is that, by doing this, I can spend less time managing sales and more time creating new work! I also hope that I will reach new audiences, and become a (somewhat) more professional seller. Read more below!

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Nellie blog

Blog: Moss and Lichen Crafts

It’s been a while since I’ve posted about my latest creative endeavours – but that’s not to say that they’ve stopped! For Christmas, I received a starter kit for resin art. For a while now, I’ve thought how lovely it would be to encapsulate nature’s treasures in resin, and preserve what might otherwise wilt or crumble. Read on to hear about my first foray into the world of resin art, and to see the ways nature has been inspiring me since the new year.

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Nellie folkdays

Folkdays: Reviewing ‘The Selkie’

FOR MORE FOLKDAYS CONTENT, SEE MY BLOG.

I was delighted when the wonderful Imogen Di Sapia sent me her book, ‘The Selkie: Weaving & The Wild Feminine’. At first glance, flicking through the pages, I was entranced at the beautiful craftmanship of the book itself. I would continue to be spellbound by the folktale, poems, and photographs contained inside.

I only had a basic knowledge of the mythological selkie, from Scottish folklore, before reading this work. I feel very fortunate that my real introduction to the tale was through the words and art of Di Sapia and her collaborators. Hear more about it below.

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Nellie blog

Blog: Rose Petal Pigment

To brighten my small flat during lockdown, my parents brought me over some beautiful bouquets of flowers. I noticed, when the stamens of the lilies began to fall, how they stained any surface they touched a deep russet. I decided then to collect them, and try to use their powder as a natural pigment to paint with. Along with the lilies were so many beautiful roses of different colours: when they began to wilt, I laid their petals out to dry in the sun. I’ve since ground them and experimented in painting with them — read more about it below!

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