When my gardener, Lee Norbury from Plants Lets Grow, invited me to contribute to his Hampton Court Flower Show 2024 display, I was thrilled to take part. The theme revolved around the five senses—taste, smell, touch, sight, and hearing—and I was tasked with creating five unique pieces to represent each one.
For sight, the choice was obvious. Having previously created several human eye iris artworks, it was a no-brainer to craft a larger, more striking version for this prestigious event, which welcomes around 120,000 visitors each year. But how could I make it truly spectacular?
Inspired by my glow-in-the-dark toadstools and jellyfish (check out the Large Pictures category for a peek!), I decided to take this iris to the next level—making it UV-reactive, an especially fitting tribute to the sense of sight.
The challenge? Ultra Violet pigments have a coarser, more granular texture than standard acrylics, making them trickier to work with and affecting how smoothly they flow onto the surface. Despite this, I carefully selected a colour palette reflecting nature itself—green for the land, blue for the sky, and yellow for the sun—and the final piece came together beautifully.
✨ UV-reactive acrylic on a 40cm MDF round, finished with a resin coating and backed with cork for durability.
When my gardener, Lee Norbury from Plants Lets Grow, invited me to contribute to his Hampton Court Flower Show 2024 display, I was thrilled to take part. The theme revolved around the five senses—taste, smell, touch, sight, and hearing—and I was tasked with creating five unique pieces to represent each one.
For sight, the choice was obvious. Having previously created several human eye iris artworks, it was a no-brainer to craft a larger, more striking version for this prestigious event, which welcomes around 120,000 visitors each year. But how could I make it truly spectacular?
Inspired by my glow-in-the-dark toadstools and jellyfish (check out the Large Pictures category for a peek!), I decided to take this iris to the next level—making it UV-reactive, an especially fitting tribute to the sense of sight.
The challenge? Ultra Violet pigments have a coarser, more granular texture than standard acrylics, making them trickier to work with and affecting how smoothly they flow onto the surface. Despite this, I carefully selected a colour palette reflecting nature itself—green for the land, blue for the sky, and yellow for the sun—and the final piece came together beautifully.
✨ UV-reactive acrylic on a 40cm MDF round, finished with a resin coating and backed with cork for durability.
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