About Kristel

I am Kristel Schoonderwoerd, a boater, botanist and creative facilitator. I live and create aboard my floating studio Layla, a 60-foot narrowboat on the British canal system. As a continuous cruiser, I find creative inspiration in exploring the canal network and in my training as a botanist and evolutionary biologist. I am fascinated in how we can discover nature through the process of artmaking, and how these combined activities support human wellbeing. It was a series of serendipitous adventures that has led me to combine the three:

Chapter 1:

Discovering nature through artmaking (2008-2009)

Born and raised in the Netherlands, I set off on my first international adventure to Cyprus in 2008. There, I pursued a Foundation Award in Art and Design at the Cyprus College of Art. I lived in Harry’s Inn, a former backpacker’s hostel turned artist accommodation, sporting ten modest rooms, a bar with Balkan-inspired music on repeat and a resident cat.

In the college library, I discovered botanical art and I enjoyed exploring the many natural wonders of the island. Both started to make their way into my art practice and ere long I had caught both the travel and biology bug.

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