“Everywhere around the world, flowers represent peace, happiness, and prosperity. We might not all speak the same language, but we can all read flowers….”
Our flowers are disappearing.
Of the 400,000 documented flowering plants, 45% are threatened with extinction due to climate change and habitat loss from things like urban development, palm oil plantations and livestock. Such a loss would prove devastating. Plants underpin all life on Earth- they regulate our climate, clean the air, stabilize the soil, and provide vast amounts of raw materials, food and medicine. In fact, 15,000 plant species contain chemical compounds that can be used medicinally; nine out of ten of our medicines come from plants.
Researchers estimate we have yet to find 15% of the world’s flora. Of the estimated 100,000 plants that remain undiscovered, 77% may go extinct before discovery.
My melting floral paintings are an ode to the flowers we will never get to discover. Their blurred forms dance across the canvas, dissolving into obscurity forever.
May these paintings inspire a sense of appreciation for our incredible floral treasures, and a greater urgency to act to save them.
