Resurrection Fern by Margaret Oomen

I am smitten with the art and life of Margaret Oomen! After my first serendipitous meeting with Margaret via Flickr- and this post- I've found myself retreating to her blog daily. Upon reading Margie's blog, Resurrection Fern, one immediately notices how incredibly knowledgeable she is about the natural world and how it whole-heartedly inspires her artwork and way of life. I've never done an interview before- but I wanted to share Margaret's kind responses to my emailed queries. I hope you enjoy getting to know her a little better! After reading her incredible blog, seeing her work and the generosity with which she shares her tutorials, and appreciating her amazing photographs... I just had to get to know her!

Crocheted Object Still Life by Margaret Oomen

Fabric and Crochet Mushroom-Tutorial here.

Delicate Necklace- Crocheted Maple Key
Via this post.

A Softer Starfish

Designs from Nature-Crocheted Pebbles

Snail in bed from The First Sunday of Summer, The Day in Pictures.

Crochet Covered Acorn Necklaces
View Margaret's tutorial here.

K: Where do you live in Canada?
M: I live in central Ontario, north of Toronto.

Crocheted Orb by day...
Tutorial here.

and by night!

K: I read that you studied medicine and of course your knowledge of the natural world is incredible! Are you a scientist, doctor, biologist?

M: I am a family doctor in a small town with a population of about 4 thousand people almost all of whom are my patients. I care for people from birth to the very elderly. My oldest patient if over one hundred years of age. I do house calls and palliative care. I am a rare breed of doctor in Canada. Before I went into medicine I did a degree in Biochemistry and a doctorate in synthetic organic chemistry of natural products. I think my love of botany started there.

Margaret with one of her many snail friends!

K: How did you come about your skillful crafting abilities? Have you always been so inclined?
M: I am a mostly self-taught craftsperson. I taught myself to knit, crochet, sew , embroider and I am still trying to draw and paint. I have been making things ever since I can remember but only in the past year have been sharing with people on Flickr and I started my blog less than 6 months ago with the encouragement and help of my friend Elsita Mora . I lack computer skills but have learned so much since starting my blog. When I run into trouble I always ask my youngest daughter for help.

Still Life with Crocheted Gourds

K: Where do you find time to make so many beautiful creations?

M: I work Monday to Friday but manage a little creative time in the evenings after supper. I usually do this outside on the porch in the warmer months and near the woodstove in the winter. My favorite room in the house is the kitchen so many of my indoor pictures are taken there. All my children are very creative and I have tried to teach them everything I know about making things so when I am creating one of them are usually there as well making along with me or working on their own projects. That way we get to spend time together and talk about different things. It is like an extension of dinner conversation. I love the natural world, find my inspiration from it and love to spend as much time as possible enjoying it. I am so thankful that I live in a place in the world where I am able to do this.

Thank you for sharing, Margaret!! xo
Photos in this post copyright Margaret Oomen