Fleur Woods
Embroidered Art Success
Embroidered Art Success
For Upper Moutere artist Fleur Woods, more than 10 years of persistence have allowed her to develop into an internationally successful artist from Nelson Tasman, her ultimate source of inspiration. “We don’t need a shop front any more,” she says. “Artists can connect with people all over the world.”
Fleur’s embroidered artwork, which she calls ‘stitched painting,’ is sought-after and incredibly time-intensive. It incorporates colourful, rich, and layered stitching on linen. It took her 15 years of living in the region to develop this unique style.
She started with upcycled collages and other small artworks, though she admits they were not very successful.
“It was in vogue but I didn’t sell much - it served to decorate the stall,” she laughs. “But it was such a lovely thing to get started with.”
Finding it challenging to attend the market every week with young children, she and friends founded the Great Christmas Market, a handmade festival of art and craft that has become a significant event in the region, celebrating its 10th birthday in 2022.
“I was still making quite horrible art but it was wonderful to have a sense of small business around creating and a community; building a community of creatives was amazing,” Fleur says.
After moving to Upper Moutere, Fleur built a kitset studio in her garden and began experimenting more seriously with her art. In 2013, she added embroidery to her mixed-media pieces and had her first appearance at the Nelson Art Show, where she sold a few pieces and began to see herself as an artist.
This experience taught her the realities of surviving as an artist and running a small business.
“It was hard, but the hardness of it was a wonderful gift,” she says. “Up to that point I was still trying to find my vibe and it gave me that push to let go of trying to be clever or cool or interesting and just follow my heart a bit more.”
Fleur’s breakthrough came when she started connecting with other textile artists on Instagram and was discovered by the style editor of Australia’s InsideOut magazine. This led to a six-page spread in the magazine and significantly increased her exposure.
Today, despite the challenges posed by Instagram’s algorithm, Fleur continues to evolve her art practice with workshops, collaborations, and selling prints and kits online. She has also hired an assistant to help with production, allowing her to produce work more regularly.
“That’s what working in Aussie taught me; all the artists have support, people to do their admin or ship their prints. It was a good lesson in how to work and I don’t think enough creatives understand that in New Zealand. If you produce something that’s time-consuming, you need many hands.”
Reflecting on her career, Fleur realizes that her art and life in Nelson Tasman are deeply intertwined.
“I don’t believe you need to live in Paris to be an artist; for me nature is my ultimate inspiration and I think living rurally and being so connected to it, and being close to the most epic beautiful beaches and national parks, really does inform my work every day,” she says.
“There is a slower pace of life here. What makes me an interesting artist is my ability to capture the essence and energy of beautiful elements of nature, and being in it all the time and being present in it is what helps me to do that.”
Fleur’s journey shows the importance of persistence, community, and staying true to one's unique vision in the world of art.