Vibrant, tactile and colourful, Rianne Aart’s fibre art stops you in your tracks. From huge, eye-catching wall hangings to smaller, more controlled pieces, the soft colours and natural flowing shapes add warmth and texture to their setting. Although she’s clearly at home in an artistic environment, Rianne, who’s Dutch, didn’t follow a conventional route to her current career. Although she loved creating small macramé pieces in her spare time, she decided to keep art for a hobby and studied law at the University of Groningen, graduating in 2016.
“After getting my law degree, I did a few interviews and got a job offer quite quickly,” she explains. “It didn’t take me more than a month or two before I realised that this wasn’t the career for me and that my passion was art. Although there was certainly pressure from family and friends to maintain a ‘proper job,’ I felt a strong pull towards pursuing something that truly made me happy. I decided to follow my heart and start my own art studio, which I called ‘Teddy and Wool‘, and I haven’t looked back since.”
Rianne creates both ‘off the shelf’ and customises pieces, and loves the different creative processes involved. For commissions, the process varies depending on the client and the project.
“I often start the conversation by asking a client to fill out a short questionnaire to get a general idea of what they’re looking for.” she says. “Sometimes a client has a detailed idea from the start, so we discuss their vision thoroughly to understand expectations and preferences. For clients who might be vaguer about their requirements, I ask a lot of open-ended questions to understand their tastes and the emotions they want the piece to convey. I also create sketches and sample swatches to narrow down their likes and dislikes. From there, I work on designs, incorporating feedback until we reach a concept that feels right for both of us.”
“I experimented with several crafts, including crochet and sewing my self-designed cushions, before discovering macrame. The technique instantly captivated me with its intricate patterns and an almost meditative knotting process and I quickly fell in love with it. It was the perfect medium for combining my love of art with a hands-on approach to design. I started out with little macrame plant holders and small wall hangings, but eventually evolved to bigger and more interesting art pieces.
I don’t see myself as ‘just’ a macrame artist though! My current work extends beyond that. I consider myself a textile artist, incorporating various techniques such as dyeing, framing, and felting to create comprehensive textile artworks. This approach allows me to explore and push the boundaries of my creativity, blending different methods to craft unique and compelling art pieces.“
Rianne’s most recent collection, RE-FRAMED 2024, contains 10 artworks taking their inspiration from the natural world. From SUMMER GLOW with its sunset-on-the-beach vibe to the more geometric and angular CORTADO, the soft colours inspire a feeling of calm and serenity. “When I launched the collection, CORTADO was one of only two pieces which didn’t get snapped up immediately, and it’s currently on display in my own living room,” says Rianne. “I absolutely love it, and the threads are dyed with different strengths of real coffee which is pretty cool.” (Cortado, of course, being a Spanish coffee drink of espresso cut with milk.)
Rianne doesn’t regret her lost legal career for a second and has had the chance to work with some fantastic clients.
“My favorite commission is probably one that I did for Google some years ago. Drawing inspiration from the vibrant colors of the Google logo, I crafted large dyed circles and knotted macrame ‘nets’ to create privacy booths. I was really pleased with the finished result. It wasn’t plain sailing, though. I had to get the colors right of the logo and I had to cut the cords perfectly to get that smooth round shape, which wasn’t easy.
There were also other challenges; one was that the top of the pieces needed to be created in an angle, as they didn’t want the booths to be plain straight. The other challenge was getting the medallions to appear to be floating’ in the macramé nets. I tried different things but nothing worked – the medallions hung crooked or even fell off. I finally found the solution while strolling through the hardware store. I drilled holes in the frame behind the medallions and used a mix of metal wire and hooks to keep the circles centred and steady. It’s been one of my biggest commission so far and one of the ones I’ve enjoyed the most.”
So what’s next for Rianne and Teddy and Wool?
“I’m currently working on a really cool project for some villas in the Maldives. I can’t share too much about it, but I did post some work-in-progress pictures on my Instagram if you want to catch a glimpse of the artwork!” she says.
To find out more about Rianne and her artwork, visit www.teddyandwool.com.
Main image shows Rianne Aarts with the RE-FRAMED 2024 collection. All images (c) 2024 Rianne Aarts.
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