Botanical Illustrations

march 2026

People often ask me how I make my work and where the ideas begin.

When I worked as an illustrator, I illustrated all kinds of subjects for editorial work. Each new commission with a different theme. Since I started working with natural dyes, something shifted.

 
Living closer to nature and spending more time observing my surroundings, flowers, plants and birds slowly became my main source of inspiration. Simply because they were what I was seeing every day.
 

These botanical illustrations offer endless possibilities for me. Different compositions, different colours, different stories.

A couple of years ago I took the decision to step away from my illustration practice, and to fully commit to natural dyeing. I love working with colours from the earth because it slows everything down. The colours are unpredictable, softer and feel more alive.
 

These last few weeks a new collection of wall hangings grew from an interest in 17th century Dutch flower still life paintings. I find them fascinating to study, the longer you look, the more you see. All the details, each with it’s own symbolism.

I loved looking at this floral still-life painting by Rachel Ruysch who was the most famous female artist of her time.

I approached these old paintings from an illustrative perspective and translated them into textile designs that feel both graphic and organic.
 

The botanical illustrations that I use come from sketches that I made over time. Some of them are inspired by actual flowers, and over time stylised into simple forms. This way the shapes stay intuitive and slightly abstract. The flowers, plants and birds are not meant to be realistic. They are more like remembered shapes I have seen during my morning walks.
 

Once the illustrations are ready, the real conversation begins between painting the flowers and birds on fabric and natural dye process. I work with a soft, quiet colour palette so everything needs to stay in balance. The colours should support the botanical illustration, and the illustration should leave enough space for the colours to exist.
 

 For me, natural dyeing is a way to tell stories through colour. A way to bring illustration into the world of natural dyeing, slowly, with attention and care. That is part of what I love most about working this way. It keeps the process alive.