Last night my mother and I discovered the work
of Nancy Blum. It was a magical moment. So magical that I wanted to share it with you
on here in case you hadn't heard of her. Based in New
York,
Nancy draws these spectacularly detailed botanical pieces full
of vibrancy and colour. Each one of her carefully executed works is practically
busting with life. She has a Facebook page which can be found here and a website in case you want to see more of these fabulously tantalising
pieces.
For me, I feel that there is something inherently 'William Morris' about them, but they also remind me of the stylised botanical paintings of the 19th century, such as the illustrations made for John hutton Balfour for his students in Edinburgh (below) or the bright intense paintings of Walter Hood Fitch (also below). Add a dash of Georg Dionysius Ehret's more brazen works, such as his Opuntia and the intensity of Maria Sibylla Merian's work, and I believe you get something a little like this. They almost look a bit 'Indian' with their rich colours and never ending embellishment. However, despite all of this, I still find Nancy's work to be completely unique.
 |
| Working clockwise from top left: John Hutton Balfour drawing aid, 'Blandfordia grandiflora' by Walter Hood Fitch, 'Opuntia' by Georg Dionysius Ehret and 'Butterflies sun' by Maria Sibylla Merian. |
 |
| Artist unknown: "Stenocarpus sinuatus Endlicher (PROTEACEAE). Firewheel tree, tulip flower, Mr Cunningham's stenocarpus", c. 1846, botanical illustration, watercolour and ink on board, 95.2 x 60.3 cm. |
 |
| Botanical Art by Nancy Blum - I would love to have this on my wall. |
"Of all known forms of life, only about ten percent
are still living today. All other forms – fantastic plants, ordinary plants,
living animals with unimaginably various wings, tails, teeth, brains – are
utterly and forever gone. That is a great many forms that have been created.
Multiplying ten times the number of living forms today yields a profusion that
is quite beyond what I consider thinkable. Why so many forms? Why not just that
one hydrogen atom? The creator goes off on one wild, specific tangent after
another, or millions simultaneously, with an exuberance that would seem to be
unwarranted, and with an abandoned energy sprung from an unfathomable font.
What is going on here?"
.
Annie Dillard
Pilgrim At Tinker Creek
No comments:
Post a Comment