HOME & GARDEN: Patterns In Nature
Inspiration comes from all around, literally the sky, the air, the clouds. Nature is inspiring and so are designers who translate that inspiration in their own unique way.
Nature has inspired a lot: paintings, sculptures, poetry, architecture, music. Anything which can be created has been inspired many times over by natural creation. The detail of design in plants, flowers, trees, fur etc is amazing and inspiring. The patterns, geometric and abstract, that naturally occur are beautiful and seemingly infinite in variety. The repetition of leaves intermingle with light and shadow, the hang of flowers on a bush, the elegant curve of buds on a stem and the gentle indentations of veins on a leaf are all so simple they could easily be overlooked but so beautiful we almost owe it to them to create something in their honour.
I am always amazed by the levels of patience, creativity and attention to detail that would be needed to recreate some of the patterns occupying naturally around us. The spot-on colour combinations, the tight regular repetitions of leaves or the seemingly endless randomness of animal fur or rock striations. I am forever taking photographs, telling myself I will translate all these wonderful things into wonderful textiles and surface patterns. One day!
Luckily there are many talented designers in the UK who do create wonderful patterns, textiles and prints inspired by nature. There are two many to feature here so I have chosen 3 of my favourites. I hope you will find them as inspiring as I do:
I don't think I'm alone in buying packs of Angie Lewin's notecards and notebooks and then not being able to bring myself to spoil them. I often find myself doing a bit of a reverse natural inspiration with Angie's work, where I'll go for a walk and see a flower and think 'oh that's like the one on my notebook'. Angie has translated nature into her own unique style. A simplification into lines and shapes that isn't simple at all. A two-dimensional version that still evokes the sound and movement of the flowers in the field. It makes me want to start drawing immediately, to try to find my own way of capturing nature.
I only recently discovered Helen Rawlinson, but I love her abstract take on nature. There is a boldness and strength in her colours and simple shapes that again brings nature to life in a two-dimensional space. In Helen's own words: 'I love the ebb and flow of repeating patterns found in nature. Mixed with urban contrasts of architectural reference and vintage graphics, all chopped and cut with stencils and glue, I end up eventually with a design I hope will have a natural longevity!' It definitely works, she has created patterns based on nature that are both retro and refreshingly modern at the same time.
Lorrie is incredibly versatile with a strong style in painting, illustration and photography with many works capturing an aspect of nature literally overlooked - microscopic organisms. I was first drawn to her ink line drawings of amoebas, simple translations of the beauty of life, too small to be seen by the naked eye. How amazing that something that isn't even meant to be seen can be so perfect and beautiful.
Lorrie described her fascination with nature: 'I am so drawn to patterns in nature in fact, that my husband bought me a fantastic photographic book featuring patterns in nature for Christmas. When I was very young, I would see patterns in everything, and I mean everything, including the paintwork on my ceiling, and I started to notice that the most pervasive patterns occurring in the world around me were those of nature; sea, leaves, mould, earth, sand, clouds, rock etc. I became fascinated, and started to examine patterns in nature within the macro and micro world as well. The more you dig down, the more rich and fiendishly complex patterns become. Everything on this planet is constructed according to a pattern, right down to the sub atomic and molecular level, and they are beautiful, serene, mad, wonderful, colourful, exciting and utterly mesmerising, and I like to draw them. I find creating patterns to be very relaxing and excellent stress relief'.
Now doesn't that just make you want to go for a long walk with your camera and sketchbook?! If it's pouring down, just have a quick search on Flickr for patterns in nature and be inspired from the warmth of your own home.
Comments
Patterns in Nature
You've chosen lovely work to illustrate this piece. I especially love Lorrie Whittington's work, and am lucky to own several paintings - of which the last image is one! and my favourite :)
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