"Colleen is one of the most insightful, creative and inspiring gardeners I have worked alongside.

Her garden teachings have a way of making you thoughtfully consider your space, so you create a garden meaningful to you, full of life and energy. A garden you love, and care about. One that grows with you and your surrounds and tells your story. 

I honestly believe only someone with a genuine passion and exceptional creativeness can teach this way. Colleen is incredibly invested in her work and extremely generous with her knowledge. 
The gentle, thoughtful, honest and warm conversations you will have with Colleen through your garden making journey, will stick with you through life. And ,her botanical artwork is nothing short of visionary. 

Colleen is a true creative with a generous spirit, and I have learnt so much from her."

"I first connected with Colleen several years ago, and in early 2020 I had the privilege of staying with her and her family while travelling for Rural Women’s Day. Walking into her garden studio for the first time is a moment I’ll never forget. I was brought to tears. Her artwork is incredibly intricate, thoughtful and unlike anything I’d ever seen. Every piece tells a story, and the same can be said for her garden. It isn’t simply beautiful - it has been created with intention, where every path, plant and detail feels deeply considered and full of heart.

Colleen later joined us as a guest speaker at Rural Women’s Day, where her honesty, generosity and gentle way of inspiring others left a lasting impression on everyone in the room.

Colleen has a rare gift for helping people see beauty differently. Through both her art and her gardens, she invites you to slow down, notice the details and create with intention. Spending time in her world is an experience that stays with you long after you’ve left."

"Colleen’s garden making is intrinsically woven into her extraordinary creative art works. Her talent is steeped in a deep understanding of the magical web of life that she interprets in paper. Her love of the natural world informs all she does; the emotional connection of her garden making and her exquisite paper sculptured artworks. Colleen’s “considered and heartfelt art” depicts the natural world in all its minutiae; spider webs, tiny birds’ nests, exquisite mushroom fungi, a tracery of  seed heads, along with a poetic natural senescence that she so cleverly captures in her paper sculptures. Breathtakingly beautiful!"

"Colleen Southwell has a rare gift. She can look at a landscape and see a garden, and she can look at a garden, a tiny moment of it a hidden bird’s nest, seed heads moving in the wind, and see art. She brings this rare gift into her practice as an artist and a gardener. At the heart of this practice is her desire to tell stories, to bring to life a love of form and function, a reflection of both the fragility and resilience of nature. Like her garden, Colleen is generous, wise and peaceful. It’s been a privilege to work with her professionally and to know her personally. A gifted communicator, Colleen imparts confidence in beginner gardeners (like me). Our friendship continues to delight and surprise, much like her art and beautiful garden."