Original artwork description:

Tradescantia Nanouk is a large scale painting of a common house plant, depicted with grandeur to elevate its detail and beauty in its simplicity. The colours are exaggerated against a stark background to enhance not only the rich and bold contrast of each unique leaf, but also the organic and magical shape of its journey.

This plant was gifted to me during the Covid lockdowns by a neighbour, and it has grown and evolved in the years since to the point that I have propagated and shared it with others myself, making this plant a part of my community.

My pieces are built up with multiple layers of oil glazes using minimal pigments and tones, culminating in a velvety surface interrupted with purposeful, smooth brush strokes. The boldness in this piece is made up from just five pigments, carefully blended and layered to create the richness and smoothness of the plant.

The close-cropped compositions determine the power and strength held by the subjects often considered soft and delicate. The evolution of the colour schemes and textures is allowed to emerge naturally through the layering of glazes, and subtle abstractions evolve organically from the figurative depiction. The final layers determine and solidify the textures, mood and depth. 

The painting is finished with a black stained wooden frame and is ready to hang.

Materials used:

oil paint

Tags: