My heart did a little spring flip-flop when I spotted the work of Italy’s Monica Rotta on Facebook. These pieces come from her Tribute to Claire (Maunsell) series. The further I clicked through her photos, the more delighted I was. Transfers, textures, appliques with startling colors and a look all her own.

“In my case the geographical context in which I live (the hills of Brianza) flavors especially my sensitivity to respect and to wonder at the marvels of nature,” she says in an interview. She satisfies her need for organic materials by mixing leaves, black rice, stones, wood, dried fruits, shells, paper and other objects with polymer.

Monica worked for 6 or 7 years with no formal instruction until she took her first classes in 2013. Here she is on the Ganoksin website and on Flickr. On Pinterest you’ll see work-in-progress shots from an exhibition of works in collaboration with the painter Annare Gioielli. Now Monica teaches and she has a couple spots left in her Trees of Life class this Sunday.