I am a self-taught textile wildlife artist and ARTivist based in Austria, specialized in photorealistic contemporary embroidery art crafted with my sewing machine in free motion sewing technique. Over the years, I have developed a passion for embroidering realistic animal portraits, celebrating nature's beautiful creatures and striving for photorealism in all my work. Raising awareness and funds for endangered species has become part of my mission.

 

My background is, apart from a degree in makeup artistry, very 'inartistic'. I have gathered degrees in Tourism Management, Operational Management in film, television and theatre as well as in kinesiology and counselling. Textiles only started to emerge while staying at home and raising my two boys. Soon bored with sewing in a straight line, I began to experiment with different media and created my own style and motto: Stitch outside the box!

 

My own curious nature and passion for embroidering pushed me into discovering and stitching nature onto fabric, as well as discovering myself as an artist. I love to experiment and expand my skills to make my art grow and push as many boundaries as possible. I like to think of my work as being dynamic and evolving, as this is the certain aspect that makes me love to create art and love my job. 
 

Publications:

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- Servus Magazin Gute Küche 01/2015

- Handarbeit! Magazine summer 2015
- Sulky Blog 07/2015

- Patchwork Professional 01/2016

- Ottobre, Fabric Design Feature 01/2016

- Textile Art Berlin 03/2016

- Lena's Patchwork 04/2016

- Embellish Magazine 09/2016 cover photo
- Patchwork Professional 10/2016
- Patchwork Professional 01/2017
- Patchwork Professional 04/2017
- Textile Curator 12/2017
- Be Creative with Workbox/Gallery Issue No. 170
- Be Creative with Workbox, Artivism Article Issue No. 172
- Inspirations Magazine Issue 101, Artist Feature 02/2019
- Textile Fibre Forum Magazine, Issue 133, Reader's Gallery 03/2019 

- Embellish Magazine Artist Profile Issue 38, 06/2019
- Social Distancing Festival, 04/2020

- Stitch Magazine issue 126, 08/2020

- Homespun Magazine Feb/Mar 2021
- Stickstoff Magazin Cover & Feature Article 02/2021

- Art Quilting Studio Winter Issue 2022

- Textile Portraits by Anne Kelly, Book feature, 2023

- Stitched Journey with birds by M. Sielman, Book feature, 2023

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Exhibitions:

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- Nadelwelt Karlsruhe 2016 - Textile Animal Portraits
- Art Scene Today, juried exhibition *a stitch in time*, finalist
- Nadelwelt Karlsruhe 2018 - extinction is forever
- Jane Goodall Institute Austria 2018, Gösserhalle Wien
- Collaboration wt. Monique Martin, Canada 2020

- 50 bees, 5th edition, Acearts Somerton 04/2022

- Creativa Dortmund, Stickstoff Lounge 03/2023

- Hausfrauenkunst, Vienna 04/2024

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Curating: 

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- #BeJane exhibition in honor of and in the presence of Dr. Jane Goodall's 85th birthday,
in cooperation with the 'Jane Goodall Institut- Austria'. 09/2019 Vienna, Austria

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Other:

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- Online course for Makerist `Freihandsticken mit der Nähmaschine`, 07/2016
- Fabric Designs for Stoffprinzessin, 2016/2017
- Exhibition of 'Otter portrait' Houston Quilt Festival 11/2016

- Exhibition of 'Otter portrait' St. Louis Quilt Market 05/2017

- TV Interview SchauTV:  https://bit.ly/2sa83OX (minute 5:04)
- Auction of the portrait of 'Wounda' together with Dr. Jane Goodall 06/2018
- Fundraiser for Hanson Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, Kangaroo Island, 01/2020

- Fundraiser for Earth League International in cooperation with Aurifil 11/2021
- Creativa Talk by BlaBla.Cafe, Stickstoff Magazin & friends, https://youtu.be/GMIzLwZCKv4

- Fundraiser for Caritas Österreich/Funds for Ukraine

- Auction of the portrait 'Solitude' together with Dr. Jane Goodall 11/2022

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