My name is Celine Michel. My work consists partly of paintings I made with oil paint, but mostly weavings of portraits of African people. This theme is an expression of the feeling I developed for Africa, where I used to live as a child and later returned to visit Burkina Faso. Apart from the traditional costumes I think especially the cheerful life expression and culture of Africa are something that requires attention. This is what I am mainly committed to!

My passion (for 8 years now) for weaving comes from a woven rug in Peru, the country where my parents used to volunteer. I was 5 years old when I fantasized about how that rug must have been made. The labor that these Peruvian women practice daily to bring bread to the table stimulates me to see weaving as a dedication, despite the small setbacks I may encounter, and I also feel honored to see this as my job.

Just to be clear, my weavings originate in the paintings that I make of a photo first, through which process I already make choices when it comes down to which colors I want to use and which color areas I draw down, which eventually results in the weavings.


15 days creative tour named "From paint to felt in Gambia":

• 21 February - 6 March
• See From paint to felt in Gambia





Art collectives that I am a part of:

• De Noyense School in Sassenheim (also my studio)
• De Leidsche Mondialen
• Galerie Beeldschoon
• KUCO
• Galerie “Beeldend gesproken” in Amsterdam


The most important expositions of the last 3 years were:

• Africajarc in Cajarc, France 2021
• The Brick Lane Gallery in London, September 2020
• The Pieter de la Court building in Leiden (= Sociale Wetenschappen building) (Sept/Oct/Nov 2019)
• Real estate office Van den Assem de Ridder in Voorschoten end 2018
• From Sept - Dec 2018 in the CNV office in Utrecht
• Galerie de Pomp in Warmond in 2018
• One week in February 2018 at ESTEC (aerospace center)
• Two months with my purses at Galerie Zone in 2017
• From Sept 2017 - Dec 2017 at a gym in Wassenaar
• Two months in the Africa study centre in Leiden, 2016


Weaving workshop:

• The dates are every two months at the wool shop Meet en Make in Leiden.
• The workshop takes three hours with a break included if needed
• You can borrow a loom that you can keep for two months
• You need to take an image with you on a4 paper (the less detail the better)
• It is also possible to learn a few patterns if you have doubts about a picture or an abstract idea
• The wool we'll use costs 2 euros per color ball (it may be useful to think about how many colors you would like in advance)
• The deposit for the loom is 25 euros
• The workshop itself costs 35 euros


Phone: 0657119573