Olga, will you tell us how this piece came about?

Last year, I opened my studio to the public for Open Studios at Krowji, Redruth, and one of the Charles Causley Trust’s team was among the visitors. She took an interest in pieces I had done in response to Barbara Hepworth sculptures, and we began to discuss the possibility that I would create a design inspired by Causley’s poetry.

Later that summer, I began to read his work and new ideas formed. When the Trust proposed commissioning a work from me, starting with a residency at Cyprus Well, I was delighted. I wanted to immerse myself in Causley’s environment, and see how my ideas developed when they connected with the place.

Tell us about your time at Cyprus Well, pictured below, and how it influenced the design?

I loved spending time there. It was both comfortable and welcoming. Experiencing Causley’s home and discovering how it related to his poetry – reading everything on the shelves and getting that glimpse into what he was inspired by. So much of his work is grounded in a sense of place: in his landscape, home and community. Designing the piece – getting the bones and the skeleton right – was informed by that. It was so much better than reading his work somewhere distant. None of the design is an exact replica of anything in the house, but elements of Causley’s experience have certainly made their way into it, his travels and his wanderings, for example.

Which of Causley’s poems were in your mind while working?

Elements of three or four poems. Angel Hill, Sorrel Point, Kelly Wood, and Seasons in North Cornwall. Angel Hill and Sorrel Point played a strong part, because they contain the sense of a narrator and third party, capturing distance and isolation between two people, despite a longing for closeness. Angel Hill was influential because of its proximity to Cyprus Well – it is only fifty yards away. I spend time walking on that hill during Storm Goretti, looking at the water running down it, and the design almost, but not quite, follows the curve of the hill. The finished work reflects the colours of the water, its flow and general curvature. It is presented as if you are standing at the bottom looking up, looking towards the person that’s walking away. Kelly Wood is a poem about what you find when you go looking for inspiration, what you collect and choose to keep. That struck a chord as I was assembling all the elements. I think imagery of the Launceston hedgerows in Seasons in North Cornwall as tide marks made an impression on me – the idea of fluidity and flow.

Do you think that are there similarities between the approach of a textile artist and a poet?

Personally, I’m looking for a state of flow. That is important because I don’t have a strict design or predetermined pattern when I start. My tapestry is constantly changing; it evolves. The inspiration is visible as I build. I’m in a conversation with the piece. With this commission, I wanted to think about the subtle ways that poems and place contribute to a design and to feel what the new work loses or gains from translation.

About the artist

Olga Owczarek weaves bespoke designs on upright analogue looms, specialising in custom wall-hangings and rugs. She grew up in Poland and the American Mid-West, which have deep weaving traditions.

Her inspiration comes from landscapes, history and folklore and she is fascinated by stories of place and the sea. Olga works with traditional techniques and natural materials, often sourcing locally.

She will be running weaving workshops at the 2026 Launceston Poetry Festival on Saturday 2 May, 11-3pm, in the Town Hall. Free, drop in.

The tapestry, 'After Causley', is for sale in aid of the Charles Causley Trust's work in the community.

Picture: Ella Griffee.