The Natural Sciences

Oxford University in the Summer

  All of these thoughts on microbes and evolution bring me to the dawning of the natural sciences. I always think of the old universities, Oxford and Cambridge, and imagine explorers sending seed samples or bringing birds or reptiles there to study and question. Greenhouses were built, gardens were grown, and students and professors pondered the origins and movements of never before seen creatures. How enlightening it must have been.

The Thing in the Forest

The Thing in the Forest, watercolor, copyright Nina Leung, 2017

  "It's head appeared to form, or become first visible in the distance, between the trees. Its face-which was triangular-appeared like a rubbery or fleshy mask over a shapeless sprouting bulb of a head, like a monstrous turnip. Its colour was the colour of flayed flesh, pitted with wormholes, and its expression was neither wrath nor greed, but pure misery. Its more defined feature was a vast mouth, pulled down at the corners, tight with a kind of pain. Its lips were thin, and raised, like welts from whipstrokes. It has blind, opaque white eyes, fringed with fleshy lashes and brows like the feelers of sea-anenomes. Its face was close to the ground, and moved towards the children between its forearms which were squat, thick, powerful, and akimbo, like a cross between a monstrous washerwoman and a primeval dragon. The flesh on these forearms was glistening and mottled. every colour, from the green mould to the red-brown of raw liver, to the dirty white of dry rot." - A.S Byatt, Little Black Book of Stories

Links: Fine Garden Details

Going with the theme of botanical illustrations and the fine details of plants and flowers, I've found some fun resources and inspirations that totally relate.

These prints make me happy.

A gorgeous botanical artist and an amazing woman.

This pretty dress works perfectly.

This looks like a great summer read.

Contemporary botanical artists.

And shoes.

A botanical daily reminder.

Experience what it may have been like to discover new places.

A transporting film.

Fine Garden Paintings/ Drawings

Crawling Rosemary, watercolor, copyright Nina Leung, 2014

Growing Lily Pads, graphite on paper, copyright Nina Leung, 2014

This is just the beginning of some ideas I have brewing. I've been enjoying my research books and finding many fun things to play with. One of my biggest struggles as an artist is figuring out how much detail to add. The process of detail can be obsessive and fun, but it also narrows my mind too much. At least, that's what I think is happening. I don't know if it should bother me since I enjoy it, but I fear it doesn't allow me to think broadly in the same way that larger, more abstract work does.

Research: The Fine Details, Garden

After looking at and studying so many gardens, now I want to focus on the finer details, a more close up look at individual plants and flowers. I've always loved botanical illustrations for their minute details and the careful use of pen and ink. Two of the books above, The Complete Encyclopedia of Illustration and Cabinet of Natural Curiosities are perfect fodder for that. The Victorians and their love and discovery of the natural sciences has always been of particular interest. A.S Byatt's two novellas, Angels and Insects illustrates that time so well and in such a creepy, wicked way. Her gorgeously written prose is full of great imagery. Naked: Flowers Exposed is a beautiful photography book full of black and white close ups of flowers. 

I have so much to study and research while I create drawings and paintings and maybe even add a little printmaking. 

Project: Sponge Paint Gardens

Eamon's (2 y.o) Garden

This is a fun, easy project for any age. All kids love using sponges and fingers to paint. Young kids especially can benefit from the tactile nature of this project. The results are quite nice, even with the younger artists.

Flower Gardens at Hampton Court

Hampton Court is a Tudor castle on the outskirts of London has gorgeous gardens. A large part of the park is open to the public which is pretty cool. The flowers are not too showy with subtle colors and whimsical shapes like the allium pictured above. I'm still feeling very inspired by these gardens and flowers.

Abstract English Gardens

Clouded Foliage, watercolor, copyright Nina Leung, 2014

One of the most satisfying things to do in art-making is automatic drawing/painting. I did these paintings in the spirit of automatism, only I did have a subject in mind. I thought of messy English gardens before and during painting. This is how I like to paint and this is why I love to work with watercolor. Watercolor paints force speed and the flow of the water can sometimes be unexpected which makes it more fun. Before I started painting, I thought of the tradition of watercolor painting in England. The watercolor paint boxes created in the 19th Century made it possible for painters to go out and paint their landscapes outside. There's something quite romantic about that.

Geometric Country, watercolor, copyright Nina Leung, 2014

Marc Chagall's Flowers in the Natural World

Aren't these simple blue flowers beautiful? They were photographed in my front yard. I love the simplicity and vibrant color. The two below are also from the garden and more closely remind me of Chagall's flowers with their long petals, delicate curls, and fine lines.