Hello
I’m Cara Nicholls - mother, artist, and illustrator.​
​
From my little shepherd’s hut, nestled amongst trees and wildflowers in the Sussex countryside, I create hand crafted artworks inspired by the quiet magic of the natural world. Working with hand painted papers and recycled textiles, I make delicate collages, slow stitched pieces, and illustrated cards - small treasures intended to be held in the hand and kept close.
​
My work begins with listening to the land, to the plants, and to the subtle stories carried in seed, leaf and petal.
Growing with the Wild
Flowers have always been woven through my life, a love first passed down from my dear granny, who tended so instinctively to the plants and animals around her. As a child I would watch her move gently through her garden, caring for each living thing with quiet attention. That early sense of wonder and respect for the natural world has stayed with me ever since.
​
For many years I ran my own floristry business, working closely with flowers every day. Yet over time I felt a quiet longing for something deeper - a relationship not just with the flowers, but with the plants, the land they grow from and the wild places they belong to.
​
I have always worked intuitively with plants and their healing qualities, but I decided to enrol on a herbal course to extend my knowledge. Part of the practice involved creating plant monographs, careful observations of each plant’s character, qualities and story.
​
My art practice naturally wove itself into this process. I began painting and mark making on scrap paper, then slowly cutting them into tiny petals and leaves to build collaged portraits of the plants I was studying. Each piece became a visual monograph, an act of attention, deep listening, and reverence for the plants themselves.
​
I found the process deeply healing and before long these small wooden artworks lined the full length of my shepherds hut.
​
From this collection grew my first oracle deck, created from the original botanical collages and accompanied by a guidebook with messages from the wildflowers themselves. Later I created a second deck celebrating the leaves of native trees associated with the Ogham alphabet. I now also have a full range of botanical mini cards, each with their message on the back.
The Way I Create
Each collage begins with painted paper - layers of colour and texture that are slowly cut into the tiniest fragments: stems, leaves and petals. These pieces are arranged patiently until the plant begins to reveal itself.
​
In my textile work I gather small scraps of cloth, often dyed with plants, and piece them together with slow stitches. The warp and weft of the fabric bring their own textures and rhythms while colour, form and pattern find their natural place.
​
I’m drawn to processes that are patient and tactile, work that grows slowly through care and attention.
The Rhythm of the Seasons
Seasonality shapes everything I do. I work closely with the turning seasons of the land and my own inner seasons, allowing these rhythms to guide how I create, rest and live.
​
Winter invites quiet and restoration, while the brighter months bring colour, creativity and growth. These gentle cycles influence the plants I work with, the colours that appear in my pieces, and the pace at which new work comes into being.
​
Alongside my artwork I spend time photographing the landscapes around me and writing about the small moments of the wild that have spoken to me - reflections I often share through my journal and on Instagram.
The Artwork I share
Many of my creations remain small and tactile: miniature artworks, illustrated cards and prints, along with the wildflower oracle and leaf decks created from my original botanical collages.
​
I’m especially drawn to pieces that sit softly in the palm of the hand, small treasures that offer a moment of beauty, reflection, or connection with the natural world.
​
Through my work I hope to share the quiet magic of noticing: the curve of a leaf, the beauty of a single wildflower, the changing light across the landscape.
​
Each piece carries a small whisper of the wild - something to hold close and return to whenever you need a moment of calm.
​
Small artworks inspired by the plants, the seasons, and the quiet magic of the wild.
Get in Touch
I'm always looking for new and exciting opportunities that align with my work and values. Let's connect if you would like to work together