Demi Overton is a Nottingham-based fine artist whose sculptural works on paper explore the quiet poetry of the landscape. Drawing inspiration from maps, aerial imagery and natural forms – mountains, canyons, deserts – she distills these into minimal, meditative compositions. Her process involves pinpricking, sewing, and painting. Demi invites viewers to slow down and engage with the subtle textures and rhythms of the natural world.  

We caught up with Demi to understand more about her unique map and needlework approach to art.

How did your artistic practice begin, and what drew you to making art?

I think most artists have childhood stories of how they would colour and draw for hours on end. I am no different. When asked what I wanted to be when I grew up it was always an ‘artist’.

Art has always been a serious part of my studies, but transforming that into a career seemed a distant hope. After graduating from Newcastle University with a degree in Fine Arts I got a studio in Nottingham pretty much immediately. I spent a couple of years working in a very similar way to how I had at university, developing my ideas. There, a push gave me the nudge I needed to move on from studying and start getting my work out of the studio. My first Art Fair in London completely changed the way I viewed my art. It allowed me to see the career and how to make it happen.

Can you describe your practice and the materials you work with?

I create works on paper, with a technique I’ve studied and developed using watercolour, pinpricks and thread. I would describe my style as abstract and minimal.

All my pieces begin first as inspiration from some form of map. My more organic pieces are inspired by Google Earth aerial landscapes. I am drawn to more natural landscapes, and from the view I can find mountains, deserts and canyons. I love the drama found in the shapes. More recently I have been using contour maps to create my contour collection.

While at university I had a tutor who told me to write down three words that defined my art. I chose pattern, mapping and process. Ten years later and I still think about this a lot – these three words have not changed. At the time I had no idea how these words would have such an impact on my life as an artist.

I am very process driven. There is a lot of background and planning work before beginning a finished piece. Everything is planned until I reach the final making stage. I enjoy how, when using watercolour, the colour will settle as it wishes. And that I have no idea how the thread gradient will land. This part becomes the most exciting part of making for me, as new, unexpected layers emerge in the final piece.  

My process is lengthy, but I enjoy that it allows me to switch off from the outside world and focus entirely on making.

Which artists have influenced your work?

Artists I admire include Anni Albers, Maya Lin, Richard Long, Tania Kovats, and Olafur Eliasson. Their work has influenced my thinking around materiality, landscape, and the relationship between structure and emotion.

Are there particular experiences that have shaped your practice?

In 2014, I climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, an experience that planted the first seeds of my current practice. I was drawn to the shifting landscapes encountered along the way.

Growing up I was incredibly lucky that as a family we spent most holidays road tripping around North America. A lot of these landscapes appear within my work and I enjoy the familiarity of the colours and shapes.

My ‘Within the Trees’ series began a few weeks after my son was born. I found myself walking similar paths each day, finding ways I could get as close to nature as possible while restricted by pram-friendly paths. By repeating these walks, it led me to notice small changes and differences amongst the nature, which I might have previously missed.

The idea for the first piece from that collection, titled ‘Precious Time’, came to me while on one of those walks with my son. It has expanded from there. I like to bring the feeling of walking through nature and trees to life within this collection, as a quiet nod to life’s peaceful, calm moments.

Demi has exhibited across the UK and holds work in collections throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, and the Middle East. She has worked with many art consultants, creating commissioned works for large-scale projects in the UK, the US, and more recently, the UAE.