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April 2000
Nature-Art and the Child’s Mind

By Julie Starks

 

Five years ago, I graduated from art school in England and ever since, my work has reflected a strong interest in the natural environment. I am fascinated with biological change and the fractal nature of our world. You can see the branches of a tree mirrored in the veins of its leaves. The act of looking closely at the everyday emphasizes the wondrous beauty of structure, texture and pattern, and we can see the whole world reflected in a minuscule ball of dew.

It’s hard to say where my love of nature and the outdoors began—I feel as if it has always been a part of me. I grew up spending endless hours in the family garden. I recall not only helping my father plant vegetables and the usual childhood obsessions with making dens and mud pies, but also examining the flowers up close and peeling them apart in anticipation of what I might find inside. I would stare spellbound at the half prehistoric, half futuristic bodies of the insects that were later to become a major inspiration in my three dimensional craft work. Every year I would eagerly persuade my sisters and friends to witness with me the nest of ladybugs embedded in the cracks of the garden wall; if you watched for long enough, it provided real-life insight into an insect society that appeared so much more organized (although some may call it brainless instinct) than our own.

Later, as a teenager in school, I couldn’t believe the images revealed under the microscope in biology lessons—how the plant cells I was viewing were responsible for making energy for the whole plant’s physiological activities or providing structural support for a stem. Such studies highlight the harmony, complexity and necessity of an ecosystem at both the microcosmic level and in the world at large. We are reminded of both its resilience and fragility, how it responds to a myriad of influences and the importance of our own role within that system.

Teaching children’s craft workshops at the Bath Environment Center in England has enabled me to pass on the fascination with both nature and art that I grew up with. Together we have made a Christmas tree out of twigs and branches and decorated it with insects crafted from recycled paper, and made a life-size sculpture of a bicycle using discarded wood—all the while discussing the importance of sustainable transportation! This combination of craft and theory seems to be a perfect way to appeal to their imagination and environmental awareness.

In cooperation with the National Trust (which oversees the British equivalent of America’s state parks), I and other artists designed workshops based on the theme of historic gardens and buildings. Children from inner city schools came to experience the beautiful surroundings and made environmentally-inspired art pieces. This was a very important task for me, since I believe all young people deserve to get in touch with nature no matter where they live. This brings them closer to our natural environment and the creatures with whom we share it with, so that they might be more inclined to protect and respect it as adults and (who knows?) maybe even as policy makers.

Crafting items on school grounds has been a great way to engage children in their very own ‘garden art.’ We made live willow structures in the form of creative tunnels, domes and mazes that also served to section off areas of the grounds where ugly wire fencing would have been used otherwise. Using live willow means that we plant the ‘sculptures’ in March so the children and teachers can see them bloom into leaf that summer and for years to come, so it’s truly live nature-art.

Nurturing others’ appreciation in natural crafts and recalling my own childhood way of looking at things has reawakened and inspired my artwork. I now regularly sculpt all sorts of objects from willow branches. I zoom in on the very small, such as pollen grains, sea urchins and insects, and I make large willow versions of their basic structures, which makes it easier for observers to appreciate their form, such as my dog-size grasshopper.

My photographic work is often taken with special close-up lenses that allow me to blow subjects way out of scale, thus drawing in the viewer so they can assess what they are actually seeing. They are frequently surprised to learn that it is ‘only’ a dandelion weed. Using microscopes (inspired by high school biology lessons!) has allowed me to produce cellular images from plant samples. A lot of fun is had in the process, seeing amazing patterns for the first time! I can’t gather the whole world around one microscope to witness it with me, so the next best thing is for me to capture it in a photograph so that as many people as possible can enjoy it.

I feel privileged to inspire people to look closely at their surroundings, to respect its beauty, fragility and necessity, and—where possible—to have some life-affirming, creative fun in the process. It seems that not much has changed since I was a child.

Julie Starks
is an artist, photographer and sculptor living and working in Bath, England.

 


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