statement

Witnessing nature in our immediate surroundings, is a shared experience that connects us to our neighborhood and to each other. Where I live, the landscape can be defined by rich lushness in the summer months, majestic white oaks, and tangled shrouds of kudzu vines engulfing the banks of the train tracks. By portraying local plant life, I want to generate discussions about its impact on human wellbeing, and how we can better appreciate and work to protect the environment as a whole. Disintegrated leaves, faded flowers, and brittle stalks become symbols for the ordinary beauty around us. They bring attention to cycles of rejuvenation, maturity, and decay, while reminding us of the fragility, as well as resilience, of the natural world.

My motifs and images are directly derived from nature, either from botanical contact prints, relief processes, or natural dyes. Impressions are combined with additional markings, colors, and lines, making each piece a documentation of a specific place or moment in time. Stitching often appears throughout, adding texture and unifying passages—creating a sense of care and patience that asks one to slow down and take notice. My work embraces natural materials and a commitment to leaving behind minimal waste and toxicity, paying homage to the natural world in both form and content.

biography

Lotta Helleberg is a Swedish-born artist based in Charlottesville, Virginia. For more than a decade, Helleberg has experimented with print making and surface design, focusing on botanical contact printing, relief processes, and local plant-based dyes, to render works that both document and celebrate her immediate surroundings. Her unconventional wall and book works have been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions across the United States as well as abroad, including the Festival of Quilts in the United Kingdom and Kyoto Shibori Museum, in Japan. Helleberg’s work has been presented in several national and international publications such as Natural Processes in Textile Art by Alice Fox, Art Quilting Studio, American Craft, and Patchwork Professional.

The dream of my life

Is to lie down

by a slow river

And stare at the

light in the trees—

To learn something

by being nothing

A little while

but the rich

Lens of attention.

—Entering the Kingdom by Mary Oliver