The Art and Nature Collective Autumn exhibition at University of Dundee Botanic Garden
**The Gardens are closed on the 23rd Nov due to STORM BERT**
I’m very excited to have become a member of The Art and Nature Collective, alongside a wonderful array of artists who explore the natural, non-human world as part of their practice. Via collaborations, workshops and exhibitions the Collective aims to raise awareness of environmental issues and celebrate the beauty of the natural world. You can find my artist profile here, alongside profiles of the other artists who make up the Collective.
My piece ‘Smoke Leaf’ is included in the Collective’s Autumn Treasures show at the University of Dundee Botanic Garden in their beautiful Green Gallery, with views across the Tay estuary.
*Please check the weather before you visit the Gardens as they are subject to closure in inclement weather.
23 November to 15 December 2024
10:00 am to 3:30 pm
In the garden’s Green Gallery (last entry 3:00 pm).
There will be an opening event on 23 November from 11:00 am to 2:30 pm.
Smoke Leaf, the original painting, beautifully framed in hand stained oak with museum glass, by Detail Framing, Tollcross
Excerpt from the catalogue
I am a magpie in the landscape, a finder of special leaves and twigs. I am fascinated by the natural world and the way it behaves.
This leaf is a good example, it came from a Cotinus coggygria or Smoke Bush. One year when the conditions were just right, the autumn leaves took on this patina with the yellow patches in the lamina.
They were so fabulous and caught my eye as I walked past. I love to work in watercolour with a dry brush technique to show off the structure and patina on a leaf like this, it’s the perfect medium to capture the tiny details and in particular the amazing colour.
I tried to work out what species of Cotinus this might be, and after talking with various botanists, we decided that this patina was possibly a result of the specific conditions rather than a species idiosyncrasy. The right combination of frost and warmth at just the right point caused this fantastic magic.
This is what I love about the natural world. These amazing things happen, possibly never to be repeated, and you have to be there to bear witness.