Weaving Stories from the Sea: Art, Sustainability, and Home at La Maison de Kathy

I first met Kathy and her family while staying at La Maison de Kathy, an eco-friendly digital nomad guesthouse in Vale da Telha, Aljezur, Portugal, for a few months in 2021. Surrounded by nature and beautiful beaches, I found myself deeply inspired and productive in my artistic pursuits. Kathy and her family, especially her mother, showed a genuine appreciation for my artwork. Before long, the suite I was renting became a small gallery where fellow guests, neighbors, and friends would drop by to admire and commission pieces. This was only the beginning of something much greater.

Over the years, Kathy continued to commission custom pieces, from paintings and drawings to handcrafted wall art made from reclaimed fishing ropes, driftwood door signs, and even a sculpture for her children’s playground. I became the exclusive artist of her stunning villa, keep returning again and again to this beautiful place I now consider home away from home. Her unwavering support and belief in my work have been a gift, and I am deeply grateful for the creative journey we’ve shared.

Among the many pieces I’ve created for La Maison de Kathy, one stands out: a large-scale artwork crafted from washed-ashore fishing ropes. My fascination with upcycled materials began during my coastal walks, where I would collect discarded ropes and experiment with them as artistic mediums. While researching traditional rope crafts, I stumbled upon Huichol yarn paintings from Mexico, where colorful yarn is pressed into wax-coated boards. This technique sparked an idea: what if I “painted” using fishing ropes?

I started with a smaller piece, a monstera leaf design roughly the size of a table mat, using the most commonly found rope colors: shades of green, turquoise, black, greay and the occasional white. When I posted it on Instagram, Kathy loved it and requested a custom piece, but on a much larger scale. Her vision? A 1.5m x 1m tropical design featuring flowers and foliage.

The project was an undertaking. Rope by rope, I glued each piece onto fabric, working tirelessly for seven full days. At times, I wanted to give up. It felt overwhelming, almost impossible, but I pushed through. Completing a leaf, then a flower, then another leaf, the artwork slowly came to life. Looking back now, after having created several large-scale pieces, I no longer feel daunted by such projects. I’ve refined my technique, and each piece feels like a milestone in my creative evolution.

When the piece was finally finished, we hung it beside the entrance of the guesthouse, in a cozy chill-out nook for digital nomads. To complement it, I also created a tree branch installation adorned with lanterns: glass jars wrapped in reclaimed fishing rope, adding to the villa’s eco-conscious charm.

This is just one chapter in my journey with Kathy and her family, and I know there are many more to come. It’s been a true pleasure bringing her visions to life, infusing her stunning villa with sustainable art, and creating a space where she, her family, and guests can enjoy the beauty of handcrafted, eco-friendly design.