Plants are in constant motion, changing with the seasons, growing, decaying, and providing life. Gardening has become an important aspect of my art practice, and what once started as a hobby in my childhood, has developed into a sustainable lifestyle of planting, preserving, drawing, and natural dye making. Creating artwork inspired by plants, pollinators, and the landscape.
As an artist with sustainable goals, the process of making becomes an important part of the finished artwork. All aspects of the making process are thought through and equally as important, from resources purchased to reusing materials. To further my sustainability in art and life, I am committed to using natural materials, gaining an understanding of where my resources are coming from and what I am using as an artist. Natural dyes are handmade plant-based pigments made through a process of boiling and cooking organic matter to extract colour. They are painted onto raw cotton canvas stretched on repurposed wooden frames, as well as watercolour paper. Painting with natural dyes brings ideas of preservation, time, place, and sustainability to my work.
In my current work I am exploring ways to speak about the beauty of the Earth. Since 2021 I have been focusing my practice in wheel thrown, handmade pottery and botanical illustration. Combining my love of plants and pollinators with functionality. The emphasis of nature and place reoccurs through much of my work, which reflects on memories of wild spaces, use of natural resources, and creating in a more sustainable way.