New Arcadia

My recent series New Arcadia is informed by a sense of awareness around the interconnectedness of trees. The Hidden Life of Trees, by Peter Wohlleben, has given me a fresh perspective on my approach to representing the natural landscape. In his book, Wohlleben reveals that trees speak their own silent language, communicating complex information in subtle ways, via smell, taste and electronic impulses. Much like humans, trees in fact, have a viable interest in keeping every member of their community alive.

With this new perspective,my method to creating has evolved towards a more pastoral genre of landscape, representing groups of trees in synergy. I continue to build layers using acrylic paint with image transfer, leading to cold wax and oil as the final layer.

Since the onset of the global pandemic, there has been significant disruption to our social networks. With New Arcadia, my aim is to communicate the importance of sustaining symbiosis in our human and natural world.