What’s your story?

I am a Swedish-born artist based in the US. For more than a decade, I have explored prints on paper and fabric, focusing on botanical contact printing, relief processes, and local plant-based dyes. I create works that both document and celebrate my immediate surroundings.

My passion for fiber harks back to my childhood in Sweden where my mother and grandmother fostered a love for handcraft by example. They also propelled my love for the elegant simplicity of Scandinavian design, color palettes, and materials.

Plants growing close to my studio provide images, colors, and motives for my work. I use techniques such as botanical contact printing, where the plants release their own pigments when exposed to heat and moisture, as well as digital reproductions. I make dyes from local plants such as walnut and goldenrod to enhance paper, fabric, and threads. Stitching often appears throughout, adding texture and unifying passages.

What are your values?

My work embraces natural materials and a commitment to minimizing waste and toxicity, paying homage to the natural world in both form and content. Environmental impact and sustainability influence every aspect of my art practice – from the materials I use to my methods and supplies. I also cherish handwork and time-honored techniques and strive to embrace and adapt historical female textile traditions in my art.

What can we find at Inleaf Studio?

My work ranges from large art pieces to a variety of hand bound books, and scarves, pillows, and bags. Each one-of-a-kind piece is lovingly made by hand in my studio. I exhibit my artwork nation wide, and also sell select works and items on my website.

Where can we find out more about you and your work?

Website: www.lottahelleberg.com | Instagram: @lottahelleberg