Ranunculas Philosophy

Whimsy on a Wednesday bringing you nature's creations

There’s wholeness about roaming around the outside at this time of year. Everyday I notice something new, freshly green. Every walk through the woods seems a little bit fuller, the trails less easy to navigate: ferns are unfurling, brambles aggressively searching, and fresh little fingers are growing on the spruce tree. Nature has always been a salve, helping me to decompress and breathe out the detritus of all things internal. If I could live outside without getting wet, cold, or eaten by ticks and tarantulas, I’d stay outside forever. That may make me sound like I’m not such an outdoorsy person, but I am. Being stuck inside drives me insane.

I’ve had the nicest of times sitting on the grass under a tree watching the world go by. One of my favourite evenings was having a bbq on a beach and watching the sun set behind Godrevy lighthouse. I think if I was going to have a celebration of any kind, that’s what I’d want to do.

I stand still in the middle of the forest and listen. Hear all the different birds chattering, the scratching of a squirrel running up a tree. I wonder how many eyes are on me, waiting for me to disappear down the path. But I wait, searching through the trees for deer. I’m not as good as my wolfits, they can pick up the scent from yesterday. I stare through the trunks thinking I’ve seen one, but I haven’t, it’s a fawn branch with antlers just the same. Nature is remarkable. And then I catch sight of a white bobtail flickering through the woodland.

Even a walk around a village is lovely at this time of year. The new flowers arriving, colour bursting out, summer planting beginning. I look at the seasons like a woman getting dressed. Spring sees her stretching and putting on her slip; maybe trying on a few light floaty skirts and dresses. By summer she will be fully donned in a bounteous, colourful gown.

I love flowers. They are beautiful and sharp, innocent and erotic. I always have flowers on my table. I marvel at how stunning each one is. How perfect. Is one more beautiful than another? No, I don’t think so. Each has its own distinctive allure.

As nature brings me peace so does creativity. The two are one and the same for me. I like to bring nature into painting and a few years ago I started to do botanical printing. It seems like an easy thing to do and yet it is not. To get the results you want can take many hours of trial and error and a lot of patience.

Many different approaches and techniques are needed. Remarkably, I enjoy the process even though it can be highly frustrating. Imagine having perfected each layer, placing paint and florals exactly so only to have the final layer ruin the whole thing. This journey can make you despair. But, when you get it right and you pull the final piece and it’s beautiful, better than you imagined, it makes it all worth it.

There’s something magical about what you find, a lot like walking through the woods and coming across a patch full of bluebells or a scattering of cowslips. I am happy that I can merge floral paintings or drawing with botanical printing, like I can share my inside with the big outside. It’s a marriage of perfection to me and I hope you enjoy the results of my nature inspired prints. Available in store