A Corner of My World
A gentle rhythm of creativity, collecting and everyday inspiration in South East London.
Some creative mornings begin at a desk. Others begin in a garden.
For artist and educator Edori, inspiration is often found in the small details of daily life, a newly opened flower, a neighbourhood fox, a treasured object waiting on a shelf, or a box labelled "strange envelopes". In this gentle glimpse into a corner of her world, she shares the rituals, collections and observations that shape her days and quietly feed her creative practice.
My name is Edori. I am a visual artist and teacher, and I have lived in a Victorian terraced house in South East London for the past 38 years. My husband, the painter Stephen Read, and I bought the house together and gradually transformed what was once a decrepit shell into a much-loved home filled with art, books, collections and memories.
Stephen passed away in July 2022, but I remain here, surrounded by many of the objects we gathered throughout our lives together. Every room holds traces of our shared interests, creative pursuits and the stories of a home that has evolved over nearly four decades.
Before breakfast, I usually take a walk through my garden to start connecting with my senses. I look for changes in nature: what is in bloom? What plants are thriving? It has a great impact on my creativity for the day. Seeing the plants leads to moments of insight and inspiration. Sometimes there are parakeets at the feeder which is very surreal. I check my hot bin and look at the worms that live in the bin! I feed them vegetable waste and shredded paper. I might collect a few flowers from the garden and create a posy for the kitchen table.
“The garden has a great impact on my creativity for the day.”
My studio in the house is where I start working, it’s my son’s old bedroom, and I can barely walk around it because it is so stuffed with supplies and images. This always initially upsets me but I do know where everything is. I even have a box that says “strange envelopes”. I am a curated hoarder!
I have been running independent art classes my whole life and have taught all ages. Everything collected has a future use, from googly eyes to vintage matchboxes. I might use the objects in a project or as a visual prompt for a new piece of artwork.
I was co-founder of a recycled arts collective called Skip Sisters and we upcycled objects into covetable homewares and jewellery. I still have items from those days as we stopped exhibiting around 10 years ago.
I am currently working on portrait commissions which I love doing. My paintings are full of the detritus of domestic life which play a narrative role in the portrait.
Sometimes I work in my garden studio when I am not teaching which is tiny but lovely. I will listen to Jazz FM or Radio 4 while working, with a cup of coffee always at my side and the odd visit by a neighbourhood cat or fox.
“My paintings are full of the detritus of domestic life”