Bas Relief Cast by Lisa Richards
In The Shade
Lisa Richards
As an artist nature has always been the inspiration at the heart of my work. Over the last two years my creative response to the flowers and foliage I love has taken me on a journey of discovery, driven by a passion for growing and planting my own garden. I have got closer to the plants and developed a new way of looking at my subject matter. For years I painted, large impressionistic views of meadows and hedgerows, drawn to the abundance of colours and shapes. But more recently I have been looking from a more intimate perspective, observing every minute detail of what I grow and nurture. I discovered botanical casting which for me has provided the opportunity to capture and preserve a moment in nature.
Working as an art teacher I was familiar with bas relief casting, but only in the last 2 years have I started to explore this method in my own practice. As with most casting the approach is simple. I press the actual plants from my garden into wet clay before making a frame around the impressions into which I pour fine casting plaster. When set, I peel back the clay, to reveal the fossil like imprint, which, I am still awed by every time. Each petal, stem, stamen, and leaf captured in honest and uncomplicated permanence. Not wanting to distract from the form and texture at the heart of this work, I largely leave my casts unpainted. I do, however, occasionally add pigment or gold leaf. My compositions are inspired by and reflect the interrelationships of the plants….. a bit like planting a garden. The result is my new collection of work entitled, ‘Innate Impressions.’
Bas Relief Cast
38x38cm
Unframed