A Crooked hello to you!
Crooked Garden was born somewhere around 2017, during a stressful graduation year at art school. Pinching pots proved to be the perfect vessel for my need for making im-perfect things. It was a vessel that didn't judge me - which created freedom.
I've learned along the way that the Japanese have a word for this called; 'Wabi-Sabi'. Which means looking at the world with an acceptance for imperfection, and through that, seeing beauty. That is what Crooked Garden stands for. The beauty of imperfection. Of character, of flaws, of cherishing the charasteristic crookedness that we carry in all of us.
We humans all have a story. And clay invites us on a subconscious level to reflect on that. Clay tends to mirror the person who is working with it and then reaches out a gentle invitation for a bit of soothing. When you miss a bit of stability in your life, you can create a sturdy cup who can take a punch. When in need for peace, you can create something elegant and clean lined. When in need to exit frustration, you can build a big big vase.
You do not allways need to understand where you are in your life and what you need, but you can follow what you feel like with clay. And then later on use it in your day to day life, in the shape of a cup, a vase, a plate and so on. This fascinates me and I love it.
I welcome you wholeheartedly here on my site, and wish you a lovely visit. This is the space where I present my crooked creations, which have taken hours and hours to create through a carefull hand-pinching process (so no wheel!). You can also find more info about my pinchpot workshops in which many people have created a very unique, personal and functional item.
Have fun and always feel free to contact me on:
info@crooked-garden.com
A Crooked Team!
More and more people are curious to experience the magic of handbuilding, and so Christina is slowly shaping a team to support Crooked Garden. The main workshopgivers who lead the workshops are all professional artists who have graduated from artschool (meaning they have at least 4 years of art study under their wing) and are carefully selected and trained in handbuilding by Christina. This way, you know that you are guided by people who have a deep understanding of art - and not only that, but also have a heart for it. You are guided by humans who are professional artists themselves.
Who is part of this team?
Fiana de Raaf - Adventurous mermaid & Group workshop giver
Fiana graduated in 2018 at Art Academy Minerva as a teacher in expressive Arts & Design. She can be recognized by her expressive and cubistic style (and is the reason behind a couple very weird glazes that Christina has on her shelves). She is a lover of silkscreen print (she owns Studio Corvo) and ceramics. Fiana and Christina have been sharing an atelier for the past 3 years and starting at march 2023 Fiana will start to give group workshops for Crooked Garden! Fiana radiates positive energy and.. energy! She runs on a battery that is crazy durable (much to Christina her amazement) and she is a bringer of positive spirits. She has a lot of experience in working with people and their creative processes. Quite the nice fit!
Marianne Brouwer - Expressionist godess & Group workshop giver
Marianne graduated in 2016 at Art Academy Minerva as a teacher in expressive Arts & Design. She has a stunning free painting technique, with which she creates small and big paintings in her studio in Groningen. Marianne has a lot of experience with creative processes and Christina is deeply impressed by her feel for color and her ability to stop with a work before going 'too far'. Her works are raw, but touch on the figurative when you look from afar at her works. A couple years ago Christina shared an atelier with Marianne and then got familiar with her works. When in the beginning of 2023 Christina saw Marianne paint a ceramic vase in the Crooked Garden atelier, she knew: this is a very good fit. Marianne her specialty for workshops are vases and painting on ceramics.
Nya, Johan and Jip - Fairies of calm & joy > Workshop assistants
When a workshop takes place, there is a big chance that you'll see an assistant flying around named Nya, Johan or Jip! With their friendly, calm and thoughfull presence they are a big asset to the workshops. They keep an eye out for everyone having a warm drink and are skilled in the arts of small talk. They have also been trained by Christina to look out for possible problems that the workshoppers may encounter and to notice participants that are in need of a little positive support.
Instagram: @crookedgarden
