On 23rd March 2017 the Wives Group welcomed fashion designer Denise Van Hoff and were richly entertained as she related her life story, involving many career changes.
As a child Denise experimented with different art forms such as using Cornflour paint, with a pet sheepdog as the canvas, to bark stripping, although her family were not amused as she killed the tree. The sheepdog wasn’t too pleased either.
She described at one stage being falsely entered in a W.I, competition by her mother–in-law and eventually winning. At one point in her career Denise worked for Liberty’s in London.
Producing patchwork outfits made from oddment of materials and using cornflake boxes to stiffen hats, making tin tiaras from baked bean tins, eventually leading on to Swarovski pearls, bridal and knitted wire jewellery. Conceptual art its best!
Denise is now a regular public speaker and runs jewellery workshops. She is also a WI Secretary in Ludlow, where she now lives.
It was a very entertaining and amusing evening, providing an opportunity to see examples of her amazing work at first hand.
Notes:
1. On 15th March there is no Wives Group meeting as there will be the annual Maundy Thursday Service at St. Benedicts.
2. Our next meeting is on 27th April when Peter Shelley will speak about ‘A Handful of Straw’. As usual the meeting will be held at the Bede Hall in Giggetty Lane, commencing at 7.30 pm.