As a child, I was enthralled by Beatrix Potter’s illustrations. I loved copying her drawings - transporting myself from my nan’s North London terraced house to a wildlife haven in my imagination. Not that I needed to; my nan’s garden was a haven itself - bursting with marigolds and antirrhinum in the summer and full of sparrows and toads.
For a London dwelling, it was a wonderful wildlife home, and I loved ‘borrowing’ flower heads to study and making intricate miniature gardens and allotments in an old handleless frying pan.
I would spend hours with soil between my small fingers, making ponds with Cherry Bakewell tins, collecting stones small enough for rockeries, and begging my nan for cocktail sticks to use as runner bean poles. When my work was done, I would take coveted flower heads inside to draw and paint.
Garden centre visits were another favourite, and it wasn’t always just about the café. I loved trailing behind my mum as she pointed out the names of things and rescuing begonia heads that had grown too heavy for their stalks.
I would take them home and marvel over them before sketching them. I had already decided that I was going to be Beatrix when I grew up. Although that hasn’t happened, it certainly started an obsession with creating art inspired by the seasons and the small, often overlooked treasures they offer.
Have you ever wondered about the feelings that occur when you are outside with the sky as your ceiling? What happens to us when we walk in the woods, away from unwanted distractions and begin to hear the bird song, feel the warmth of the sun on our faces, notice the air laden with the earthy scents of the woodland – when we pause to notice the small things?
According to the Mental Health Foundation, 73% of UK adults surveyed in their YouGov poll said that connecting with nature had played an important part in managing their mental health during the pandemic. Studies have shown that spending a short time outside can reduce cortisol levels and boost serotonin and dopamine*.
When possible, I will start the day walking my labrador, Flo.
And it is on these walks that we both potter around the woodland: Flo looking for good smells and I for fungi nestled in the bodies of trees, butterflies resting on fern, a treecreeper creeping in the tree tops, the sound of Spring’s first Chiff Chaff – that will calm my often-cluttered mind - and my shoulders will lower at each earthy scented breath.
Engaging all of my senses in such a calm and peaceful way never fails to ignite wonder and the longing to recreate nearly everything I’ve seen in various printmaking processes or simply pencil and paint.
A longing to be reminded of how I felt in that moment, of the treasures that engaged the senses.
Nature has always been represented in art, from cave paintings of animals thought to be over 40,000 years old to the Art Nouveau movement, which used stylised organic forms as a reminder of the beauty in natural patterns in response to the growing industrialisation in Europe.
It is this need, to be reminded, that can be fascinating. Virtually all of my artwork is inspired by our daily wanderings, and I know from talking to fellow artists and friends that I am not alone in my desire to produce artwork inspired by our natural environment and wildlife.
There is passion in highlighting an appreciation and the plights of endangered species. The noun ‘obsession’ is often repeated, together with fascination and love of our natural world.
Our state of mind when away from technology, in woodlands, by the sea, and in quieter, less populated places is also discussed.
For myself, the feelings that come from our woodland adventures drive a want to look into almost microscopic detail, and drawing, painting and printing enable me to marvel at flora and fauna at an even greater depth.
Many artists and makers hope that by sharing their artwork, they will create something that others will connect with at some level. As I explore my continuing love of the seasons and surroundings, I know that this is my hope.
I hope that fellow bird lovers will see the Nuthatch that I have burnished into a copper plate, and it might trigger a memory of themselves watching and listening to one, too.
That’s the main point, I think: to recreate the feeling of freedom that walking in the woods, or wherever it may be, to visually create a sense of wonder and awe at the natural world.
Stefanie is an Artist, Printmaker, Painter & Art Teacher based in South East England.
You can enjoy her Artwork & Art workshops on www.stefaniesmithart.com
Follow Stefanie on Instagram for beautiful photography and nature connectedness!
If you want to bring nature home, you can purchase Stefanie's art on Etsy or from Cat & Fox Creatives here.
I, myself, am a proud owner of the Red Toadstool!
*Mental Health Foundation Research and Report: Nature: How connecting with nature benefits our mental health, Read Here
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