Rebirth — ink drawing on wood by Cil Laurens, a figure emerging from a flowering coat beside an ornate garden gate
Wander in

Somewhere between a dream,
a forest, and a sketchbook.

Intricate ink drawings and paintings by Dutch artist Cil Laurens — where flowers grow through hair, feathers become landscapes, and stories hide inside thousands of hand-drawn lines.

The artist

A place where flowers grow through hair, feathers become landscapes, and stories hide inside thousands of hand-drawn lines.

The story begins when you step inside.

Dutch artist Cil Laurens creates intricate ink drawings and paintings that invite you to wander rather than simply look. Much like following a rabbit hole into an unknown world, every artwork reveals itself slowly. What first appears to be a portrait may transform into a maze of patterns, symbols, memories, and fragments of nature.

Working primarily on wood, Cil embraces the material's imperfections, allowing its grain and texture to become part of the narrative. Using technical pens with exceptionally fine nibs, she patiently builds layer upon layer of detail until the image begins to develop a life of its own.

Her inspiration can be found in unexpected places: the rhythm of leaves, the geometry hidden inside flowers, weathered architecture, forgotten stories, and the endlessly fascinating contradictions of human nature. Themes of transformation, vulnerability, curiosity, and resilience weave through her work.

Rather than explaining what a piece means, Cil prefers to leave space for wonder — every viewer arrives with different memories, dreams, and associations. The artwork is merely the doorway.

Selected work

The work, sorted by surface

Each piece is either an original or a commission — the tag on the image tells you which.

How the work is made

Process

01
Wood panel
Birch or poplar, sanded — the grain becomes part of the narrative rather than something to hide.
02
Pencil sketch
Light guidelines only. The wood's own texture often steers the composition.
03
Ink, layer by layer
Technical pens with exceptionally fine nibs. No erasing — every line stays.
04
Detail work
Thousands of marks, until the image develops a life of its own.
Follow the process

Every drawing starts as a single line — the full journey, from bare wood to finished piece, is on Instagram.

New work, works-in-progress, and the occasional glimpse of the studio.

Instagram
Where to see the work

Exhibitions

Recurring — no need to check a calendar, just the day of the week.

Recurring · three Sundays a month
Art Amsterdam Spui
Original work on display and for sale, in person, on the Spui in Amsterdam.
artamsterdam-spui.com ↗
Elsewhere
New work & upcoming fairs
Posted first on Instagram — @cil.laurens
Get in touch

Contact

For commissions, murals, press or general questions — send a message and expect a reply within a few days.

Prefer Instagram? DM @cil.laurens directly.

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