Lady Orchid & Bluebell - Orchis purpurea & Hyacinthoides non-scripta
Natural pigments – seaweed from Portvasgo, RSBP Highland flow country peat, oak gall ink from Embercombe Dartmoor, knopper gall ink Netley Common, acorn caps Netley Common.
Piece measures approx 60 x85 cm, includes Oak Frame (no glass) painted on Crescent Art Board, hot pressed extra heavy off white rag.
From the Fragile Nature exhibition, which highlights wild plants that are at risk of extinction and explores the relationship between art and conservation. A showcase of my time at conservation charity Plantlife as their first artist in residence.
The exhibition, is born out of my transformative journey last summer visiting some of the rarest plants in the UK. From the rugged coast of the Highlands to the road verges of Kent, I have encountered and connected with overlooked but remarkable plant species.
At Ranscombe Farm, I had the opportunity to connect with the rare and endangered lady orchid. She towered high towards the sky at the end of a small, naturally trodden path. Just one. I learnt that she had been blossoming for over 15 years and had become somewhat of a pilgrimage for people to visit on this vast site. There was something so compelling about this solo lady orchid, and her ability to keep flourishing year after year. I kept thinking about the orchids that hadn’t been so lucky; ghost versions of this one, slowly disappearing from the earth. I’ve been playing with this idea through ethereal layers in my paintings: a representation of the wildflowers that have now become a memory.
Collecting fragments of the passing morning mist
she understood the fragile elegance of decay
like a ghost caught on a breath
she whispered ‘I am content’
~ IH
Notes to investors, original art care notes: Watercolour paints are high grade light fast pigments. Natural pigments may alter overtime, there may be a slight fade of darkening to the tones. To avoid this keep Please keep your Iris Hill original out of direct sunlight and heat, for example do not hang over a radiator or where there is excessive moisture. The framed pieces were hung without glass for exhibition purposes, for longevity you may wish to consider adding glass to reduce risk of warping, please consult a framer.
