Botanical Antidote

Botanical Antidote

I walked into my dad’s greenhouse on a gloriously sunny day in March. Immersed in a gleaming bubble of green hues, squared patterned plastic, and the specific earthy scents of nature, mixed with the greenhouse humidity, I entered an enchanted state of mind. It felt very familiar, and it may sound cliché, but time was not of the essence.

My paintings are a playful translation of this experience in colours, textures, and layers. Taking you on a hike through a jungle of multiple layers, some very dense others transparent, giving you a glimpse of what lies ahead hoping you suddenly can take the time for small discoveries you would not notice otherwise.

As a natural evolution of my greenhouse experience, I fondly looked back to my childhood memories of gardens, jungles or anything that relates to flora. Going back, it’s “The Jungle Book” (Disney’s animated movie from Rudyard Kipling’s novel) that made a striking impression on me. Thinking back to certain scenes now they are more abstract and consist mostly of colours and feelings in my mind. 

I am relocating those impressions in my paintings as, not necessarily an exact interpretation, but more of a translation of my feelings into colour fields and different textural stories.
“The bare necessities” is a perfect example of that.

Written by Nina Minnebo, edited by Grace Hoskins.