About

Inspired by Nature

Lisa Gardner is a watercolour artist inspired by the natural world, the connection between breath and brushwork and rare wild plant species on the edge of extinction.

Passionate about wild plants and the vital role they play in the health of our environment, Lisa’s  art strives to connect people to nature, to improve their wellbeing, and inspire action to save species and their habitats. Whether she is telling the story behind the language of flowers, capturing emotions through the dance of a paintbrush or breathing life into an environment that needs to be cherished, her pieces balance beauty and meaning, presence and reflection.

Seeking to embed the environment deeper into her work, Lisa ethically forages directly from nature’s larder, creating natural pigment and inks. Lisa has a meditational approach, her work embraces the water element, inviting the pigment to flow and move with her breath. Connecting our inhale to nature’s exhale and in return our exhale becomes nature’s inhale. Painting outside, larger works are on occasion left for several months (when permission is granted) to the elements, welcoming the wind and rain, living in the elements as a wild plant would. Returning to the landscape and unveiling the marks that nature has added is an enchanting part of her process.

Exploring IPA (important plant area) sites across the UK has shown Lisa what truly settling into stillness and absorbing the magic of nature really is. Her experiences are reflected in her journals (read a journal entry here) poetry and photography, a selection is currently being compiled into her book A Wildflower Summer. Recording and experiencing the environment is key in continuing her education and helps her share learning with others, working with organisations that include NPMS (national plant monitoring scheme), BAAT (British Association of Art Therapists) NHS, CAMHS (child and adolescent mental health services) Lisa has also been featured in many publications including Hampshire Life Magazine read the article

Lisa’s works have been exhibited in the heart of Natural England, Yarner Woods a SSSI (Sites of Specific Scientific interest) . Her deep belief and passion that the arts have a duty to support conservation was showcased at her recent exhibition ‘Fragile Nature’ at Philip Mould & Co Gallery, Pall Mall, London (Jan 2024). The exhibition celebrated her role as Plantlife’s* first Artist in residence (2022-2023), exploring how the arts have the power to inspire a sense of connection, helping draw people closer to nature's needs. Exhibition walk through

Lisa creates artwork under the name Iris Hill - an homage to her Nan, the woman who lit Lisa’s creative flame and helped it burn bright. Lisa is part of The Yard Artist’s (CIC) in Winchester, Hampshire, UK.

Artists CV

*Plantlife is a wild plant conservation charity - view Lisa’s residency experience in the short film below…