i had a lot of fun creating my own personal herbarium of plants found around Leeds. I have never dried specimens as purposefully as this before and being able to preserve a plant for proper artistic scrutiny has something magical about it - aside for the value gained observing a living specimen in nature.
Finally the posters created for the outcome of the project aim to bring this body of work - and the focus of this research, into our modern day. I see a great potential for botanical illustrators in their ability to break complex theories down into easily manageable and aesthetically pleasing parts. The aesthetics of botanical illustration seems unrivalled as the profession chooses to depict the most popular visual subject. Saying this I do feel there can be a deeper more urgent purpose to the field, and through creating the Rare poster specifically, I wanted to draw attention, through accuracy and detailed depiction, to the problem that is our loss of floral wealth and habitat.
i find a lot of pleasure creating a deeper meaning or message within my work, and this project has provided the platform for me to do so. I look forward to putting into practice the variety f processes and theories I have learnt, in future practical projects.
