During the month of August 2022, I was fortunate enough to be accepted as Artist in Residence. My proposal included collecting photographs and plant samples from the specific area, working in mixed media- some of which I had never combined before, to finally develop three large drawings.

The experience was very beneficial for me in that it really pushed me out of my comfort zone. I have wanted to work on large pieces but to have the space to work on three simultaneously was wonderful.

The Studies

I began by looking for plant samples in the gallery gardens, as well as photographing plants at the nearby Botanic gardens. Since it was winter there was not much in flower except for camelias, magnolias, berries and flower buds. Staying true to my proposal I worked with only what I had seen in this location.

After photographing the samples and studying their forms I began applying some marks to four small studies. These were designed to test the media combinations- what happens when I mix this with that- as well as practice some intuitive mark making.

After I had some backgrounds to work with, I photographed them on the iPad then began to look for plant shapes amongst my photos that I could overlay with Photoshop onto the backgrounds. I had to look for lines and shapes that I could transform into recognisable plant details by building up layers of drawing detail. These studies were valuable in helping me overcome my fear of the blank page as well as guiding my decision making for the large pieces.

Study No: 2

Study No: 4