Notions of transience and fragility in nature are explored in Josephine’s delicate silver assemblages, her botanically inspired creations recalling remembered landscapes and collections of precious objects.
We asked Josephine: What is it that gives your work its unique signature? My practice explores the theme of a sense of place and our connectedness to nature. My work originates from a deep appreciation of the delicate beauty and fragility of native botanicals from the natural landscape found in my locality. I am inspired by skeletal plant silhouettes, garden and wild flowers, weeds, ornamental grasses and seedpods, the tiny fragments gifted from nature through the seasons. Working predominantly with silver and precious and semi-precious stones my aim is to capture the essence of ephemeral plant specimens to create tangible forms immortalised in metal as an everlasting tribute and celebration, a still life work of art which captures a moment in time.
My unique signature comes from a culmination of my own personal experience as a designer and through my artistic expression and sensibility, observations and recordings as a botanical artist. Before working with metal I worked as a textile designer and product developer, as a result my work is rich and multilayered, using stylised motifs, mixed media, surface pattern and layers of skill. My distinct style is recognisable as botanical, delicate and decorative, with a lightness of touch to create precious metal depictions through close observation of the life cycle of native plants. My work aims to evoke a memory of a time or place or a feeling of nostalgia by using familiar plants with have meaning. My signature motif is the Honesty plant, which I have used to create a jewellery collection as well as silver tableware and silver botanical stems, which resonates with the viewer to then build their own narrative.
“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” by Albert Einstein.
Works shown: from Josephine’s “jewellery for the home” collections, assemblages of hand-forged precious metal compositions, influenced by early botanical illustration.
