Delny Fitrzyk – “Drawn to Stitch “

What a treat it was to hear the artist and educator, Delny Fitrzyk, speak at our February meeting. She is passionate about breaking down barriers to creativity, allowing people to experience the joy and confidence that art can bring into their lives. The link between mental health and the opportunity to create and be creative was a constant thread throughout the evening. 

Delny studied Contemporary Textiles at university where she was inspired to see stitch as a mark-making tool, interpreting in stitch, for example, the art of Van Gogh and the sculptures of Rodin. In her final year, travelling in Cambodia, she became inspired by the iconic spung and banyan trees whose massive roots intertwine with temple ruins. 

She has a mixed-media approach. She stitches mainly onto good-quality mixed media or watercolour paper, and uses whatever she has at hand, watercolour/acrylic paints, Indian ink, fabric, threads.  She even uses bleach which she sprays on, finding it excellent for skies and highlights in her work. 

She is widely travelled. In Sri Lanka Delny completed her teacher training. She worked in Gloucester in a Special Needs all-boys school, introducing them to the joy of using a sewing machine. In a grammar school for girls in Bournemouth, she introduced Textile Studies. She has also worked at Derwen College for young people with special needs. 

She sells her beautiful local landscape work and is experimenting with printing it onto items such as glass chopping boards and coasters. She runs adult workshops and volunteers at Headway, the brain injury charity. 

The talk inspired all who attended and the quote she showed from Maya Angelou seemed to sum up Delny’s artistic journey and her infectious enthusiasm: 

“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.”