French writer and artist Denise Crolle-Terzaghi, found that Poetry & Place, The Language of Mixed Media with Eva Kalien helped her approach her art practice differently, thanks to newly discovered techniques and the introduction of more abstract features to her work.

Denise has lived and breathed creativity all her life. In fact, creativity has been all around her from a very young age thanks to a family filled with creative people (her father was a car designer and builder, her grandmother an embroiderer, and her uncles were poets, writers and illustrators) who all shared their passion for drawing, writing and DIY.
For Denise, the writer inside shines through her art as she tells stories in her paintings and collages. Thanks to her travel, writing, and work with international clients, Denise soaks up images and atmospheres that nourish her artistic creations – creations that see words, stories, and colour interact.
Before Poetry & Place
Denise works alone in her art studio and before enrolling in Poetry & Place she was going through quite a flat period.
“I was feeling a bit blocked in my work. I was lacking inspiration, and I needed a fresh start again.”
She also felt that she needed to approach her work differently, discover new techniques, and introduce a little abstraction.
For Denise learning and developing is important for any art practice. “For me, it’s very important for an artist to learn from other artists. Not to copy, of course, but to be inspired. To learn new techniques, and to make your work grow, otherwise, you’re doing the same all the time.”

Why Poetry & Place?
It was the gentleness and the poetry of this course that called to Denise and motivated her to enrol. “It was while I was doing some research on the internet that I came across the Fibre Arts Take Two website. All the presentations are so beautiful that I was immediately seduced. I hesitated between several courses, but Eva’s being full of gentleness and poetry, which corresponds to my work, and the course was starting at that time, I made up my mind.”
Denise has been writing poetry since she was 9 years old and has never stopped. In fact, her first book published was a book of poetry… making Poetry & Place even more aligned with her art.
“I use some of my poetry in my art because in the beginning, it all started with poetry. Sometimes I take some bits of my text to put in my collaging, or painting, and I also like to use some old notary letters from the 1800s, that we find at the flea market.”
Denise’s lack of inspiration and need for a new artistic approach, along with her love of writing, led to Poetry & Place being just what she needed to boost her creativity and recharge her batteries.

After Poetry & Place
Poetry & Place gave Denise the confidence boost she needed to continue to express herself creatively.
And Denise’s confidence didn’t just grow, it soared! After the course, she had the opportunity to exhibit her work in a gallery in Western France.
“I really enjoyed the course. The teaching, the gentle approach, the techniques to try and, above all, the caring community. I felt surrounded in the Facebook group. It was good for me.”
Poetry & Place has helped Denise approach her art practice differently and now work more abstractly. “I discovered techniques that I didn’t know. I tried them and introduced a little bit of abstraction in my work, which is something I was not able to do before. I’m very illustrative actually, and that I don’t want to change completely. But I like to add a little bit of abstraction into my work. And that helped me a lot.”
She also loved learning new techniques and applying them to her artwork. There was actually one simple technique that gave Denise an ‘aha moment’. “During the course I found techniques that I didn’t know. For example, making marks with a pencil. I found that it was making something special to the background. So I really like this technique, especially when I do this at random, without looking. I think it gives a structure to the background and it adds something to the artwork.”
Where to from here for Denise? “I want to work bigger, on canvas actually. And I’m planning two big paintings that I will start very soon, that will teach talk to each and tell a story.”
About Poetry & Place with Eva Kalien
Poetry & Place provides a unique experience for artists of all levels who are looking to explore deeper meanings and connections and find her own rhythm in creating mixed media artwork.
For Eva, poetry is the basic structure of art, but this course is not about writing poetry, in fact, there is little writing involved; it’s about sensing, feeling and listening to your art whilst being guided by Eva’s poetic tutorage.
In this online course, you will…
- Begin the layering process using lines and sketches and indulge in the wonderful process of creating your own collage papers using the ocean and forest as your muse.
- Immerse yourself in colour mixing, using watercolours, gesso, rust and pigments to create your own unique colour palette.
- Create textured and structured backgrounds using various substrates to incorporate pigments, oils, and inks while trusting your intuition.
- Absorb yourself in Eva’s philosophies and the processes she uses to create her delicate mixed-media artwork so you can expand your creative horizons.
- Learn to listen and create a connection between you and your subject matter.
Most importantly, you’ll learn to silence your inner critic and let intuition be your guide.
Want to build your confidence and creativity as a mixed media artist? Find out more about Poetry & Place with Eva Kalien.