sharing news and capturing sun

I have some great news to share with you all!

I applied for the fashion event in Maastricht some time ago called "fashionclash" because the creator of this interesting event encouraged me to apply and well, that I did. I applied for the exhibition part with my graduation project "zaaisieraden" from the collection "seeds of wonder" and with an exciting new project I wanted to make now for a while. I thought this was the perfect chance to let this get it's premiere, and guess what! Both projects got selected! I am over the moon and a bit nervous, the fashionclash event will be in June. So I've ordered fabrics and I am going to start very quickly with the first experiments for this new and experimental project. I will keep you up to date and uncover later on what this mysterious project is about!

next to that ,

A stylist for a dutch magazine, found me on the internet and contacted me, she wanted to use my work in a fashion photoshoot where every item was eco! I loved the concept she explained to me and that resulted in that I send her as soon as I could some scarfs of my collection "leaves Impression". The nicest thing is that the photoshoot was in Miami! I am very very proud, my darlings travelled around the world and came back to me after their adventures still as beautiful as before. The magazine will appear in July and of course I will keep you up to date when it will appear exactly!

I was a bit jealous off my lucky scarfs that got to travel all the way to sunny Miami. Luckely I could capture some sun because I got the chance to dye a big eco wool blanket with eucalyptus for a client, it turned out beautiful! Enjoy some photo's of the process of dyeing and I've also added some photo's of the end result! And before I forget Let me thank my sweet mother who helped me with this big heavy project! Without her I couldn't have made this beauty!

And here the result after a long day of work and a lot of patience! The result is a large eco woolen blanket with a scattered leaf print of eucalyptus. It's on it's way to the lucky buyer!

Mode Museum Hasselt meets Wieteke Opmeer!

As you may have read in the earlier post I was asked to show my jewellery collection "zaaisieraad" at the Fashion Museum of Hasselt, Belgium. (Mode Museum Hasselt). I went back to Belgium to be present at the press conference and also at the opening itself. The museum had arranged a hotel for me so I wouldn't have to rush back in the middle of the night so that was very nice! On Friday morning the 28th of January the press conference started and after explaining my work to the journalist there luckely was some time off to have a nice dinner and buy a nice souvenir. After that small break it was time for the big opening that same evening! Lot's of conversations and lot's of given business cards later I went to sleep proud and tired thinking, I've gotten the taste of this :) On to the next! 

 On my way to the press conference.

 Explaining my work to the journalists.

My work in the beautiful designed surroundings by Lien Wouters.

The party in the central hall of the museum.

Very proud to see my name between the international artists and to see my photo in the catalogue of the exhibition. 

If you want to visit the exhibition or find more about the Museum and the exhibition on their website !

fashion museum dreams

I am asked to show my jewellery collection "zaaisieraad" at the Fashion Museum Hasselt, Belgium (Mode Museum Hasselt). The exhibition is called "alter nature: The future that never was" This is a very interesting exhibition which show an overview from the sixties until now with all kinds of futuristic fashion designs. I must say that I am proud to be part of this exhibition! Last week I personally visited the museum to bring the necklaces and prepare them for the exhibition. Just to make sure everything went right.

Now only a few days away from the big opening at friday evening the 28th of januari I'm already packing my bags. I'm traveling to Belgium tomorrow afternoon to prepare for the press conference that will happen on friday morning (exciting!). If you became curious you can visit the site of the Museum to read more about the exhibition. Below some pictures of preparing the necklaces for the exhibition.
Later more about the opening of the exhibition!

you all know what time it is!

Wishing everyone a beautiful christmas and a lovely new year!
In the new year I want to start fresh and I am planning to clear out some of my workspace storage. Meaning I want to make other people happy with all kinds of interesting fabrics and other materials. I'm gonna organize this all in the new year, so keep an eye on this blog!

love you all!

Bosfeestje!

Last weekend, I had a very fun project! I called it "Bosfeestje", which translates into "Forestparty". This is a project I made for a forest next to the city of Almere in the province of Flevoland. This province is a quite recent addition to the Netherlands. And to celebrate this fact, I designed biodegradable little partyhats made from paper with poppyseeds imbedded in them. The hats are finished with strings of wool from a sheep in my neighboorhoud spun personally by my mother and for the visitors who can't tolerate wool I specially made some hats with organic silk ribbons. The purpose was to walk the art route through the forest and place the little hats on a place as a gift to the forest with the goal to help the forest grow. The day was wonderful and the hats made it lot's of fun!

Afgelopen weekend heb ik een erg leuk project in een bos in Almere gehad! Het project heb ik Bosfeestje genoemd. Het Bosfeestje heb ik als initiatief gemaakt om te vieren dat het bos nog heel jong is, dat verdient een feestje! Het project bestond uit kleine biodegradable feesthoedjes gemaakt van papier waar klaprooszaadjes in verwerkt zijn, met als afwerking touwtjes gemaakt van wol van een schaap uit mijn buurt wat tot draad is gesponnen door mijn moeder, en voor de mensen die niet goed tegen wol konden had ik een aantal hoedjes gemaakt met ecologische zijde lintjes. De bedoeling was dat de hoedjes gedragen konden worden aan het begin van de kunstwandeling door het bos, en op een gegeven moment  kon het hoedje in het bos worden achtergelaten als kadootje aan het bos, zodat de bezoekers het bos helpen mooier te maken. Ik heb een geweldige dag gehad en er is heel wat afgelachen met de grappige hoedjes!

keeping calm and trying to carry on.

You all must have noticed that my blog has been silent for a long time. This has a reason. My life has made a turn. After 8 wonderful years together, my relationship with my love has ended. And as you can imagine it wasn't and still isn't easy. This made it difficult to keep posting regularly.

In the meanwhile I have been busy with basic things, like finding a new place to stay, finding a good second job next to my work as a designer. I haven't made a full recovery with the practical side of finding a good place to live but I have already managed to find a perfect second job. In the mean time I'm just trying to keep calm and carry on....

There still have been exhibitions of my work and even new developments. I will keep posting about new developments and projects because that's what's life is about! I will not stop my work as a designer. So let's say hello to a fresh new future filled with all new things to discover. I will keep you posted again!


Wishing you all lot's of love, Wieteke

miscommunication?

Recently I was send an email with a message that was suprising to me. It was from someone who had read something about the course I am going to teach at the end of this year at the textile museum in tilburg about dyeing with eucalyptus. India Flint didn't seem to be very pleased that I did this. I was suprised to read this through her blog, you can read what she posted here.

Because there are always two sides to a story I wanted to share you mine. In advance I also want to make clear that I am not doing this because I'm mad or something like that. I just think it is important to see both sides of the story and then form your own judgment on the issue. Below I am posting  relevant email conversations between India and me. I changed nothing of the conversation or the context. the only one thing I left out is India's address and email of course for privacy reasons, I just copy-pasted it from my email inbox.

India if you might read this there is always a possiblilty to discuss the text featured on the website of the textile museum, if you don't agree, I am open to conversation.



----- Original Message -----
From: Wieteke Opmeer
To: india flint
Sent: Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:05:57 +0100
Subject: Hai India!

Hai India,

It's been a while and I want to share that I have posted some pics on my blog of my latest collection all dyed with Eucalyptus.
From the designfair where I presented it, I got a lot of nice
reactions, from wich a lot of requests, if I could give workshops in dyeing in Eucalyptus.
I haven't reacted to any of them because I think I don't know enough to teach people everything there is to know about eco dyeing.

I hope you like the collection. If you want to see more I can send you some nice pics of some discovery's I've made with the eco print.
http://blog.wietekeopmeer.nl/20 09/11/eco-eucalyptus-dyed-collection.html


Love Wieteke


ps: If you are okay with it, could you send me your adress so I can send you a thank you supprise? ;)

3-11-2009 7:36

dear Wieteke,

i do follow your blog [it appears in a little window on the side of mine] and saw your lovely pictures and also that you were kind enough to thank me, for which i thank YOU. so many students simply think that after one lesson they can go and teach what has been my life's work

or 

that they can then make collections and present my ideas without acknowledgement. You on the other hand are taking an honourable path and it makes me very happy.

lots of love

India

(left adress out because of privacy reasons)



----- Original Message -----
From: Wieteke Opmeer
To: india flint
Sent: Mon, 31 May 2010 12:36:42 +0200
Subject: Hai

Hey India,

I wanted to let you know that I am asked to give a dye workshop at the textile Museum in Tilburg. After long thinking I have decided to give a one day course but I will only teach what I think I know best at this moment and that is eco dyeing and printing with eucalyptus. It will be a one day course about the basics of dyeing and printing with eucalyptus, I am also giving a presentation about my work as well as your work. I am not planning to copy your beautiful style or steel your work. I hope you understand that I will do this with the highest respect to you and your work. And that I will give you credit for the things I learned from you.
I just wanted to let you know before you might find this out another way,

Kind regards and with deep respect
Wieteke Opmeer

31-5-2010 15:10

thanks for letting me know, Wieteke

warm regards

India

100XSUMMERDESIGN in Almere

This sunday the 6th of june I was at 100XSUMMERDESIGN in Almere (NL) here I showed my sowing jewellery. It was a very intresting day!  The location was very remote and had the charm of Almere, surrounded by unfinished houses and lot's of sand, it was for me the most remarcable location I ever showed my work during an exhibition. I liked the fact that this neighboorhood was so new and unfinished. The weather was at the start of the day beautiful and warm. After a lovely vegetarian lunch there was a very interesting opening speach by designer Jurgen Bey. It was a nice day but unfortunatly the weather turned on us around three in the afternoon. It started to rain slightly so unfortunatly I had to decide to safely pack my watersoluble necklaces. This day was plannend to last until seven in the evening but unfortunatly most of the designers had to pack earlier to save their beautiful designs and go home. Sometimes nature has it's own agenda and we where not on it I guess. I left around four in the afternoon but still the day was very intresting and if the weather was good I would have been able to enjoy the whole day!
Below are some pictures to give an impression of the day.
The first two aerial photographs are from the website of "Museum de Paviljoens" and were taken by Maarten Feenstra.

Zondag was ik aanwezig bij 100XSUMMERDESIGN in Almere. Ik liet hier mijn Zaaisieraden zien. Het was een erg interessante dag! De locatie waar de tentoonstelling werd gehouden was heel afgelegen en had zeker de charme van Almere. Ik vond het heel interessant dat de wijk nog zo nieuw en onaf was met overal om ons heen onafgebouwde huizen en veel zand. Dit maakte de locatie tot een van de apartste locaties waar ik heb geëxposeerd. Na een heerlijke vegetarische lunch opende Jurgen bey de tentoonstelling met een interessante speach. Het was verder een interessante dag alleen het weer had helaas zijn eigen agenda. Het begon helaas rond drie uur te regenen waardoor ik mijn water oplosbare sieraden moest opbergen. De dag was gepland om tot zeven uur 's avonds te duren alleen door de regen waren de meeste ontwerpers gedwongen hun ontwerpen in te pakken en zijn de meeste eerder vertrokken. Ik ben ook eerder terug gegaan om de sieraden een droog plekje te kunnen geven. Het was een interessante dag en een aparte locatie alleen zat helaas het weer niet mee. Hieronder een aantal foto's die een impressie geven van de dag. 

De eerste twee lucht foto's zijn van de website van  "Museum de Paviljoens" en zijn genomen door Maarten Feenstra.

I'm alive! And kicking!

It has been much to long ago that I posted something! So no excuses and let's just catch up with everything that happend! Because there has happend a lot! I haven't posted in a while because I started to illustrate a story written by my father that we will try to get published! Below some sketches, it is far from finised so these are sketches.

Het is veel te lang geleden dat ik iets gepost heb! Dus geen excuses en laat ik even vertellen over alles wat er in de tussentijd is gebeurd, want er is veel gebeurd! Ik heb een tijdje niet gepost omdat ik heel druk bezig was met het illustreren van een verhaal geschreven door mijn vader, dit gaan we proberen te laten uitgeven! Het is verre van af dus hieronder een aantal schetsen. 

Besides that I've been asked by the Textile Museum of Tilbrug (NL) to design and make a collection of ecodyed scarfes that they will be sell in the museumshop! So that's great news! In the same spirit I am going to give a workshop in october of this year at the Textile Museum where I will teach everything you need to know about how to dye with Eucalyptus, If you would like to join, you can register at this site here you can find more about what the program of the workshop is!

Hiernaast ben ik gevraagd om voor het Textiel Museum van Tilburg om een serie ecologisch geverfde sjaals te ontwerpen en maken die verkocht zullen worden vanaf het einde van het jaar in de winkel van het Textiel Museum. In hetzelfde kader ga ik in Oktober een workshop geven in Tilburg bij het Textiel Museum. Tijdens deze workshop van een dag behandel ik alles wat je moet weten over het verven met eucalyptus. Als je het leuk vind om hier aan mee te doen kun je je inschrijven via deze site. Hier kan je ook meer vinden over wat ik behandel tijdens deze workshopdag!  

I have also been invited by Museum de Paviljoens to showcase my sowing jewelry and picknickblanket at the event 100xSUMMERDESIGN Almere at sunday june 6! So that already upcoming sunday! Looking forward to that day! It's bound te be lot's of fun with all the designers. You can chat with everyone so if you have the chance come and visit! visit their site for more info about this day.

Ik ben ook uitgenodigd door Museum de Paviljoens om mijn Zaai Sieraden en mijn picknick kleed Kiem Kleed te laten zien in Almere op zondag 6 Juni tijdens de tentoonstelling 100xSUMMERDESIGN. Dus dat is al aankomende zondag! Ik heb zin in deze dag, het beloofd een hele leuke dag te worden met veel interessante ontwerpers waarvan er veel aanwezig zullen zijn op deze dag. Je kunt dan met veel ontwerpers praten dus als je dat ziet zitten moet je zeker even langs komen! Je kunt meer info vinden over deze dag op hun site. 

And also something very exciting! From the 24th till the 27th of June I will be selling a new eco product on which I am working hard now! It will be affordable and very much fun! The sales weekend will be during the graduation exhibition of the HKU in Utrecht. When that date is coming closer I will let you know more about that!

A bit further on the summer calender there will be a big exhibition where my work will be showed at an exhibition in Utrecht during 6 weeks in this summer. The exhibition is called "Steunkleur Groen" which translates into "Supporting Color Green" More about that exhibition later on!

I am also invited to very interesting project at the end of this year in Almere (NL) again. This is promises to become a very interesting project in which lot's of interesting eco oriented designers will show new work and me included!
So I haven't been sleeping! I will keep you all posted on new developments

En nog iets interessants is dat ik de 24ste tot en met de 27ste Juni een nieuw product zal gaan verkopen tijdens de afstudeer tentoonstelling van de HKU (Utrecht). Ik werk op dit moment hard om dit af te krijgen. Het word leuk en betaalbaar dus laat je verrassen! Als deze data dichterbij komt zal ik hierover ook meer vertellen. 

Nog iets later in de zomer is mijn werk te bewonderen gedurende 6 weken tijdens een tentoonstelling in de binnenstad van Utrecht genaamd "steunkleur Groen" waaraan allemaal interessante groen georiënteerde ontwerpers en kunstenaars deelnemen. Later daarover meer! 

Aan het einde van dit jaar ben ik weer te vinden in Almere. Hier ben ik uitgenodigd voor een interessant project over ecologie cradle to cradle enz. Dit word een interessante project waarin er nieuw werk te zien zal zijn van allerlei interessante ontwerpers en kunstenaars die werken met de natuur, waaronder ikzelf! Later hierover meer.

Zoals je wel gemerkt heb ben ik niet in slaap gevallen, ik ga weer posten zodra er weer nieuwe leuke vorderingen zijn!