Olga Prinku is a Yorkshire-based embroidery artist working with organic materials and the originator of a unique craft: flowers-on-tulle embroidery. With QEST support, she will train in traditional gilding at West Dean College, couture tambour beading with Hand & Lock, and embroidery techniques at the prestigious École Lesage in Paris. These techniques will support Olga’s ongoing experimentation with natural materials and expand the artistic language of her practice.
Originally trained as a graphic designer, Olga began working with botanical materials in 2016, evolving her distinctive method through extensive testing and creative curiosity. Her work incorporates dried flowers, preserved foliage, seedheads, grasses and berries, carefully woven or stitched onto net fabric. This innovative technique blends the fragility of nature with the precision of embroidery, reimagining a centuries-old craft for the modern day.
Environmental sustainability is central to Olga’s practice. Her pieces often prompt reflection on our relationship with the natural world and the importance of protecting it. Olga has exhibited internationally, published ‘Dried Flower Embroidery’ in 2021, and was a finalist for the QEST Sanderson Rising Star Award in 2024.
