Sessions with the Muse

Sessions with the Muse: The Will of Inherited Materials

A new body of my work, The Will of Inherited Materials, is on view at The Random Tea Room.

The collection of textile works are stitched from what I’ve inherited: a tote bag discarded in the woods, care instructions, gifted garments, foraged color, stories whispered down, mysterious genetics that surface in curly hair. The textiles are imbibed with natural dye from bark from trees I know, pomegranate peels from an artist friend, avocado pits from my beloved, and indigo I’ve grown myself. These pieces come from the result of many moons of practices in listening—to dreams, to plants, to the natural materials themselves.

Thank you for witnessing and supporting this work.

-Nicole

One of the central ideas in this collection is the omphalos—the navel as evidence of connection, a special reminder of belonging; also as a place of origin and return, a gathering point that ties us to source, to self, to collective memory, to generations before.

Many of the pieces in this show hold encoded symbols for protection, growth, curiosity, and awe in the patterns, numbers, and plants. They mark time and trace belonging. The work ponders what it means to be connected to self, to nature, to each other, to the ancestors, and to the future history that will be told about this time. What does the material we inherit want us to become and how much might we shape what we pass forward—so that those who come after will find comfort in the way we met this moment with compassion, with courage, and with the values at our core that are most sacred.

You can visit the show at the Random Tea Room Thursday - Sunday, and all artwork is available for purchase right off the wall. So if a piece speaks to you, you don’t have to wait—you can bring it home with you. And if you’re feeling inspired to make some art with me...

🌿 Upcoming Workshop
I’m also offering a workshop at the tea room in conjunction with the show:
Print & Sip: Botanical Tea Towel Workshop
📍 The Random Tea Room, 713 N. 4th St, Philadelphia
🗓️ Sunday, June 22, 2025
🕐 1:00–3:00 PM
🎟️ $50
(limited capacity)

Celebrate the arrival of summer with an afternoon of nature-inspired artmaking. Using fresh flowers, leaves, and seasonal dye plants, we’ll explore tatakizome—a simple, satisfying technique of leaf and flower pounding that creates botanical prints directly on cloth.

As we create, we’ll sip summer herbal infusions and you’ll leave with your own hand-printed tea towel—a functional piece of botanical art.

As the current artist-in-residence at The Random Tea Room, I’m so excited to share the creative practices that help me feel connected to nature, to my inner muse, and to the stories that live in materials.

➡️ To register, visit The Random Tea Room.