In the hands of Dutch artist Hilde Trip, feathers, leaves, seeds, and grasses, are transformed into compositions, that capture the delicate beauty of the natural world. By carefully collecting, preserving, and rearranging organic materials, she creates intricate wall pieces that blur the line between what is temporary and what can last forever.
In the making: Hilde Trip, Wish Full
Hilde's connection to nature runs deep. She grew up on a farm, surrounded by the rhythm of the seasons, sowing, growing, harvesting. Her path to becoming an artist started in floristry, where she learned how to work with organic materials. The school, dedicated to trained florists, pushed her to think differently and develop her artistic voice. Later on, she travelled to New York and Japan but ultimately, she returned home to the Netherlands to set up her studio, where she continues her work today.
One of the most special aspects of Hilde's work is how delicate her art looks, yet how permanent it is. She preserves the fragile materials at their peak and transforms them into a contemporary mix of order and organic movement. A perfect example of this is her series of works featuring dandelion fluff. At first sight, these pieces seem highly delicate, as if even a breath would send them floating away. Yet, through a self-developed preservation technique, she ensures their structure remains intact, frozen in time. This paradox, where fragility meets permanence, runs through all her creations, making her art both thought-provoking and mesmerising.
Hilde Trip, Wish Full, dandelion fluff in a perspex cover, 120 x 120 x 15 cm
Her compositions play with patterns and repetition, geometric shapes are formed from hundreds of leaves, peacock feathers and other organic materials. They challenge the viewer to look closer, as at first, they might look like abstract designs but later reveal the carefully stacked, ordered and shaped medium.
As Hilde mentions, the slow, repetitive act of arranging each tiny piece is a meditative process, bringing her a sense of calmness. Her art calls to appreciate the beauty of the natural world, seeing it through a lens of curiosity and admiration. In her hands the temporary becomes eternal.
Detail: Hilde Trip, Inside Out, peacock feathers
