A New Decade of 'Ologies'

As we enter a new decade I feel compelled to take my artwork in a new direction, exploring new mediums and subjects. I am so incredibly excited about this and also nervous to share this news with you!

I will be diving headfirst into creating some stunning collections of work, unlike anything I have created before. This will be my first year using genuine 24 carat gold leaf (something I have been itching to do for a long long time!) in my artwork to create some captivating #CaratGoldCreatures. I will also be shifting my focus in a new direction, with the theme of each collection being connected to science and the natural world. Still very much animal focused artwork, only much less fluffy!

During 2020 (and perhaps beyond) these themes will be based on different branches of zoology (the umbrella ‘ology’!). Zoology is a branch of biology that is focused on the study of the animal kingdom, including the structure, evolution, habits, and distribution of all animals (living and extinct) and how they interact with their environment. There are many branches of zoology and I have only just scratched the surface since I started researching them a few months ago. Each collection will come with snippets of information about the creatures featured within that particular ‘ology’, as well as a bit of history and insight into their symbolic meanings.

This idea first formed when I visited the Natural History Museum (NHM) in London in November 2019. The museum holds a fantastic collection of specimens both large and small. I was so inspired by what they had on display, that I came straight back to the studio and started developing the idea into a collection for early 2020. I soon realised this was far greater than what I could produce for a single collection, so I decided this would be the new focus for my work in 2020.

Beetle | NHM, London

Butterfly Display | NHM, London

Hummingbird | NHM, London

Since then I have discovered many different books and websites with a wealth of information, both visual and textual, for anyone wishing to learn more about this area of science in an easy-to-digest sort of way. I am putting together a reading list of my favourites so far which I will soon be able to share with you.

Keep your eye out on instagram during January for the title and release date of the first collection of #CaratGoldCreatures in 2020! Can you guess which ‘ology’ it will be??