Willy Doreleijers creates detailed textile art that draws attention to the influence of humans on their living environment. Her pieces are rich compositions, characterized by her bold use of color and structure.
How did you get started designing textile art? Always an artist, or was there a “moment”?
I have been fascinated by textiles from an early age. After a technical fashion education, I followed a 2-year framework training for textile teachers. I also received several years of intensive guidance from two professional artists, both teachers at the Art Academies of Arnhem and Maastricht. Furthermore, I find a lot of inspiration from an architect.
With my abstracted artworks I want to achieve my own reality. I draw attention to the influence of man on his living environment. Thereby the evolution of techniques from the distant past into the unknown future is a common thread. Furthermore, I find it interesting to interpret a depth effect in a completely unique way.
My form-rich compositions are characterized by my bold use of color and texture.
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I like to experiment with different techniques to push the boundaries in my textile and discover new possibilities.
My Textile Art Studio is located in Dordrecht, the oldest city of the Netherlands, where I also live.
How does your environment influence you creativity? Does your work have stories to tell?
Art is rarely made without a reason.
In my textiles, I draw my attention to man’s influence on his environment.
I will take you through the genesis, creation process and presentation of my latest solo exhibition “Time Travelers” (Ecologic sightseeing).
My intention is to make people aware of the urgency of climate action. Recently I have noticed how uncertain the future can be. Our fixed certainties turn out to be shaky assumptions.
Life arose through all kinds of physical processes and coincidences.
We had no influence on it whatsoever. According to scientists, it was a ‘brilliant accident’.
The physicist Isaac Newton, for example, discovered how grand nature is. How it works according to perfect laws and Charles Darwin developed his theory of evolution. ‘Interspace‘ is an attempt to reproduce Newton’s experiment “the refracting of light.” When he saw that the white light was no longer white but consisted of the colors red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.
Technological progress has taken off to such an extent that we believe we can determine our own future and bend nature to our will.
The industrial revolution was a blessing but at the same time the beginning of the imbalance of the fragile ecological balance.
Important ecological systems were and are being sacrificed to our hubris.
We are experiencing at first hand the negative side effects that this unbridled ‘progress’ is rapidly inflicting on nature, i.e. our living environment.
But for renewed insights and a ‘mind set’ it is not too late and we can (and must) restore the much needed ecological balance.
Time is drinking and only ‘Time Travelers’ can witness whether this concerted effort will be sufficient for our future.
Can you tell us about the inspiration and process of one of your works? How does a new work come about?
The coastline is my source of inspiration for the installation ‘All at Sea’.
This installation consists of 2 long panels, Stretching 24 Hours (W 420 x H 90 cm) and Silent of the Night (W 400 x H 90 cm).
‘Stretching 24 Hours’ makes you aware of the natural interplay between the sun and the earth in a continuous cycle.
However looking at the coastline at night ‘Silent of the Night’ it is immediately apparent that here, too, man has a questionable influence.
The works are set at an angle as is the climate problem.
The sea and light, the main conditions for life, are threatened. The sea with the encroaching city and the light by pollution. But, they are also long works ca 9.5 meters, so there is still time left to turn the tide.
When it comes to creating, are you more of a planner or an improviser?
Before I start a work I always make a design. This design goes into the smallest details. The execution is my favorite and coming up with the design is the hardest part. In fact, this often requires much more time.
The climate problem is multifaceted, and an imagination of it difficult. Abstraction, more than a faithful representation of nature, should give room for conjuration.
The creation of the installation ‘Nature versus Mobility’ is a good example.
Here it expresses how we prioritize our mobility over nature. Which is disappearing bit by bit.
In ‘Forest-tracking’, the portrayal is: nature over mobility.
With ‘Forest Echo’, it’s exactly the other way around. Mobility over nature.
‘Tree-tracking’ is the contemporary reality. Nature is sacrificed to mobility.
Trees disappear into the gray and the yellow in traffic jam cars are our preference.
The background canvases visualize forests in thick gray lines. We stand on the dividing line of choosing more or less nature. Translating these thoughts and feelings into a textile design is the most difficult process for me.
‘Insects’ make up a large part of ecological biodiversity worldwide. They are nature’s tidbits and are food for many other animals. Some species are essential for crop pollination. By upsetting the balance, more and more insects disappear and we create an impoverishment in biodiversity.
In the artwork ‘Neon Ladies’, village ladies look with amazement and admiration at screaming neon advertisements in a metropolis.
The artwork ‘Industrial Nightmare’ expresses our unconscious fears of an industrial age gone mad.
Life arises in ‘Source of Live’ and the artwork ‘Ecologic living’ is the start of the new living in a sustainable and energy efficient house with living comfort in balance with a green environment. The approach requires change of lifestyle. Currently very topical because our Dutch politics is full of it.
The artwork ‘Invisible Revolution‘ shows in 2D an everyday average house, where the change must also take place.‘Hidden Revolution’ refers to an astronomical future.
And only the time travelers in the work ‘Time Travelers’ can know if we are on the right track. This textile work was my starting point for this collection on climate. Two horizontal ellipses representing time, and the broken green bar of broken nature.
Do you have a dedicated space for creating? If so, what does it look like?
I have a studio in the ridge of my house and since this year I am in the rich possession of a 2nd studio in my garden.
This allows me to create a so-called wet and dry studio.
The studio in the garden has a large terrace. So that I can also work outside in the summer.
How often do you start a new project? Do you work actively on more than one project at a time?
Only when a work is completely finished do I only start a new one. I first clean my studio. This is also a kind or cleaning in my head. I need full concentration when making my work.
Do you enter juried shows? Do you approach your work differently for these venues?
Outside of exhibitions in Galleries and Museums, I definitely participate in fairs. Preferably to fairs that are broader in scope than just textiles. The reason is that I want to promote textile art because unfortunately, especially in the Netherlands, this is still a less appreciated art form.
In February 2025 I was invited to participate in the Patchwork and Quiltdagen in the Netherlands. Here I was offered a so-called ‘street’ of 20 meters long. So a total of 40 linear meters of wall. Although it is only for 3 days I will make it a complete exhibition.
I certainly don’t deal with this any differently from a long-term exhibition and/or group exhibitions. The manner of presentation is absolutely important to me. It has to be orderly, spatial and stimulating.
The previous work should invite you to see the next one. You can show the work to people in its context of what you mean.
Where can people see your work?
Digitally I can be followed on the socials below
Website : www.willydoreleijers.nl
Instagram : @willydoreleijers
Facebook : @willydoreleijers
Furthermore you can see my textiles at the expos below:
- 09-02 till 04-05-2025 is ‘Green Temptation’ on display at the 9th European Quilt Triennial., Max Berk Textile Museum, Heidelberg (DE).and continues its tour to Sankt Gallen (CH) Dormagen-Zons (BE) and Tampere Finland.
- ‘Ecologic living’ has been selected for Quilt National ’25 in the USA.
- The show starts on May 2025 in The Dairy Barn Arts Center, Athens, Ohio USAfrom May 2025.
- From 13-14-15 February 2025 during the Patchwork & Quiltdagen in Rijswijk NL
- And in Gallery Zone, Leiden (NL) in the month of August 2025
Interview posted January 2025
Browse through more inspiring textile art on Create Whimsy.