Cacti
When my gardener, Lee Norbury from Plants Let’s Grow, invited me to contribute to his display at the Hampton Court Flower Show 2024, I was thrilled! His exhibit was centred around the five senses—taste, smell, touch, sight, and hearing—and he challenged me to create five unique pieces of art to reflect them.
For touch, textured tree bark might have been the obvious choice, but I decided to explore something a little more adventurous—cacti! This creative journey led me to discover the incredible complexity and vivid colours of these fascinating plants.
Each element—the succulents, flowers, butterfly, and terracotta pots—is sculpted from clay, with carefully selected embellishments to enhance their natural beauty. Every detail was meticulously hand-painted, resined, and assembled, with hundreds of hours invested in bringing this piece to life. The canvas surface features fluid paint combined with lava rock, a fitting choice since cacti often thrive in such environments. The biggest challenge? Mounting spiky, rounded objects onto a flat canvas!
This artwork is already a showstopper, but under UV light, it transforms into something truly spectacular. The fluorescent acrylics glow brilliantly in the dark, revealing intricate details and unexpected depth. A UV strip light, mounted on a bracket at the top of the piece, enhances this effect. The light is independently operated, has a long lifespan, and can be easily replaced when needed.
This is a one-of-a-kind creation, born from my artistic vision and passion for originality.
40cm square canvas, 1.5cm depth, acrylic on canvas, finished with resin for durability and resilience.
When my gardener, Lee Norbury from Plants Let’s Grow, invited me to contribute to his display at the Hampton Court Flower Show 2024, I was thrilled! His exhibit was centred around the five senses—taste, smell, touch, sight, and hearing—and he challenged me to create five unique pieces of art to reflect them.
For touch, textured tree bark might have been the obvious choice, but I decided to explore something a little more adventurous—cacti! This creative journey led me to discover the incredible complexity and vivid colours of these fascinating plants.
Each element—the succulents, flowers, butterfly, and terracotta pots—is sculpted from clay, with carefully selected embellishments to enhance their natural beauty. Every detail was meticulously hand-painted, resined, and assembled, with hundreds of hours invested in bringing this piece to life. The canvas surface features fluid paint combined with lava rock, a fitting choice since cacti often thrive in such environments. The biggest challenge? Mounting spiky, rounded objects onto a flat canvas!
This artwork is already a showstopper, but under UV light, it transforms into something truly spectacular. The fluorescent acrylics glow brilliantly in the dark, revealing intricate details and unexpected depth. A UV strip light, mounted on a bracket at the top of the piece, enhances this effect. The light is independently operated, has a long lifespan, and can be easily replaced when needed.
This is a one-of-a-kind creation, born from my artistic vision and passion for originality.
40cm square canvas, 1.5cm depth, acrylic on canvas, finished with resin for durability and resilience.
When my gardener, Lee Norbury from Plants Let’s Grow, invited me to contribute to his display at the Hampton Court Flower Show 2024, I was thrilled! His exhibit was centred around the five senses—taste, smell, touch, sight, and hearing—and he challenged me to create five unique pieces of art to reflect them.
For touch, textured tree bark might have been the obvious choice, but I decided to explore something a little more adventurous—cacti! This creative journey led me to discover the incredible complexity and vivid colours of these fascinating plants.
Each element—the succulents, flowers, butterfly, and terracotta pots—is sculpted from clay, with carefully selected embellishments to enhance their natural beauty. Every detail was meticulously hand-painted, resined, and assembled, with hundreds of hours invested in bringing this piece to life. The canvas surface features fluid paint combined with lava rock, a fitting choice since cacti often thrive in such environments. The biggest challenge? Mounting spiky, rounded objects onto a flat canvas!
This artwork is already a showstopper, but under UV light, it transforms into something truly spectacular. The fluorescent acrylics glow brilliantly in the dark, revealing intricate details and unexpected depth. A UV strip light, mounted on a bracket at the top of the piece, enhances this effect. The light is independently operated, has a long lifespan, and can be easily replaced when needed.
This is a one-of-a-kind creation, born from my artistic vision and passion for originality.
40cm square canvas, 1.5cm depth, acrylic on canvas, finished with resin for durability and resilience.