WILD FLOWER PROJECT
In May 2021 I had the great good fortune to be awarded a grant from Arts Council England to develop my creative practice. This funding gave me time to focus on my true passion - wild flowers - and to practice the craft of making paper flowers. The wildflower project has given me a the foundation for everything I do. Through my wildflower art I hope to inspire the viewer to look more closely at native British wildflowers and ultimately to develop a connection with nature.
'Connecting with nature' and 'spending time in nature / being "in" nature' are two very different things. We are often recommended to spend time in nature for the good of our health - mental, physical and spiritual. This state of being in nature implies that when we are not in nature we are outside of it. And yet, we ARE nature, we are a part of nature and therefore a state of being outside of nature is impossible. Developing a connection to nature allows us to deepen our relationship with the natural world, and we don't even need to be 'in nature' to do this - looking at pictures, growing herbs and plants in pots, watching nature programmes, even making paper flowers are all activities which can help us to focus on nature and deepen and enhance our relationship.
coltsfoot
rosebay willow herb
daisy
My creative practice focusses on three main areas:
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the challenge of upscaling my botanical sculptures
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the use of colour and pigmentation, producing pieces coloured using entirely natural pigments, taken from my local environment - this is a challenging yet incredibly satisfying aspect!
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investigating alternatives to glue, with a view to reducing the plastic used in any part of my work to as close to zero as I can. I currently use PVA (tacky glue) and a little hot glue. I hope to find an alternative which does not compromise the structure and stability of my pieces. If anyone reading this has any suggestions or knowledge about suitable alternatives please get in touch...
...I LIKE TO LOOK CLOSELY...
...look REALLY closely. Look at the flowers on the wayside, the flowers on the verges, in the meadows,
on the forest floor. What do you see?
I see amazing design, unparalleled beauty. However, sometimes, the details are so small we can't REALLY see it. I want to bring these wonderful little flowers to you in a different way. My paper recreations of wild flowers are often super sized to reveal the astounding detail the eye can't see.
Below, a blackberry blossom - simple and seemingly insignificant when spotted on the bramble vine, hard to reach and difficult to pick because of the thorns, this little blossom won't amount to much in an arrangement and won't last more than a few hours before loosing it's crumpled petals. But look closely and the level of detail revealed just in the centre of the flower is astounding.
As you go through the slide show, double clicking should allow you to go through the images at our own pace and there are additional image descriptors.