Artist Kiva Motnyk Discusses Peonies, Foraging, and Sonia Delaunay.

10 hours ago7 min read2 comments

There’s a particular kind of alchemy that happens when you walk through a field with Kiva Motnyk and her dog, Sammie, a scene that feels less like a curated artist’s outing and more like a quiet, shared meditation. Motnyk, an artist whose work feels like a direct translation of the earth’s own language, doesn’t just go for walks; she forages, her eyes scanning the undergrowth not for grandeur, but for the subtle, often overlooked textures and hues that nature offers up like whispered secrets.'It’s a conversation,' she told me, her voice as calm and measured as her artistic process. 'Sammie might be chasing a scent, and I’m following a line of color or the way light hits a fallen leaf.It’s about being present and listening to what the landscape is telling you. ' This practice of deep, attentive gathering is the bedrock of her creative world, a world where the boundaries between art, craft, and the natural environment dissolve into something beautifully indistinct.It’s a philosophy that echoes the communal, hands-on ethos of the fiber art collectives of the 1970s, yet feels utterly contemporary in its sustainable, almost reverential approach to materials. When peony season arrives, it’s not merely a floral event for Motnyk; it’s a profound study in temporality and texture.She speaks of the peony’s brief, explosive bloom not with sadness, but with a focused intensity, describing the way the heavy, layered petals hold light and shadow, their colors shifting from the cool, tight blush of a bud to the warm, almost architectural sprawl of full bloom. 'There’s a drama to them,' she explains, 'but it’s a quiet drama.It’s about the weight, the silkiness, the way they collapse so gracefully. I’m not just looking at a flower; I’m studying a structure, a color story, a fleeting moment of perfection that I can try to capture in thread or cloth.' This meticulous observation feeds directly into her renowned textile works, where the 'natural palette' she champions isn’t a trend but a core principle. She describes dyeing wool with foraged plants, the pots simmering like cauldrons of earth magic, yielding colors that no synthetic dye can truly replicate—the gray-green of lichen, the deep gold of onion skins, the muted rose of certain barks.It’s a slow, intentional process that stands in stark contrast to the fast-paced, digital saturation of modern life, and it’s here that the ghost of Sonia Delaunay gracefully enters the room. Motnyk’s admiration for the early 20th-century modernist is palpable, not as a distant influence but as a kindred spirit.'Delaunay saw no hierarchy between art and life,' Motnyk reflects, her hands unconsciously tracing patterns in the air. 'She painted, yes, but she also designed fabrics, clothes, cars, stage sets.She brought bold, rhythmic color and geometric form into the everyday. That’s what resonates with me—the idea that art isn’t something separate, framed on a wall.It’s in the cloth we touch, the colors we live with, the patterns that surround us. ' One can see the connection clearly: where Delaunay used the dynamic energy of Orphism to break down form into vibrant, interlocking shapes, Motnyk uses the quiet logic of nature.Her quilts and tapestries are landscapes of texture, where hand-stitched lines mimic the veins on a leaf and appliquéd fabric fragments recall scattered petals on a forest floor. It’s a dialogue across a century, a shared belief that beauty and artistry should be woven into the fabric of daily existence.Talking with Motnyk, you begin to understand that her art is an extension of her entire way of being—a holistic practice where foraging with Sammie is as crucial as the stitching, where the lesson of the peony’s impermanence informs the durability of a textile, and where the revolutionary spirit of Sonia Delaunay provides a historical framework for creating a more tactile, connected, and human-centric world. It’s a quiet rebellion against the disposable, a testament to the stories that materials hold, and a reminder that the most profound inspirations are often found not in a studio, but right there on the path, waiting to be seen.

#featured

#Kiva Motnyk

#foraging

#peonies

#Sonia Delaunay

#natural palette

#textile art

#artist interview

Stay Informed. Act Smarter.

Get weekly highlights, major headlines, and expert insights — then put your knowledge to work in our live prediction markets.