Why do we love botanical wall art so much?
I love botanical wall art, and if you’ve found your way to my blog, then you probably do too! But what is it about this style of art that makes people come back for more, year after year? Some people choose floral arts for their bold colors, wide decorative applications, or natural appeal, but read on to hear my thoughts about the greater spiritual significance to connecting with other life.
1. Connection with nature
I love botanical wall art because it's a way for me to feel connected to nature even though I'm indoors quite a lot when working. Having a consistent connection to the outdoors is really important for my mental health. I deeply enjoy spending time in the presence of botanical life.
I’ve created some of my pieces outdoors, and others I’ve drawn in still life. In both of those situations, what I find the most rewarding is the time I need to take to sit and observe what I'm drawing. I think quite often people don't really see things. But when you start drawing something, you really have to start noticing forms, shapes, colors, hues, and textures. And that, for me, is an incredibly calming practice. It's an excuse, or a time I’ve dedicated for myself, to be with and honor botanical life.
2. Symbolic and religious significance
Botanical art can hold symbolic and religious significance for many people and cultures, which makes it even more beloved. I don't really have any religious affiliations, though I’ve been learning about animism recently and am leaning towards what it teaches. Animism, basically, is a belief that all living beings have souls. So plants, animals, trees, rocks, water, the weather - everything has a spirit and a soul. There's an essence to the plants, and a real spiritual significance in connecting with nature.
But humans are also “nature.” By calling the rest of the world “nature,” we're actually separating ourselves from it. I've read that some indigenous communities refer to nature instead as “living territories.” I’ve found it significant to start thinking of landscapes as living territories with many living beings present in them. Perhaps my art will help me express this relationship.
3. Color and style
Botanical art is vibrant and can add so much color and style to a space. There’s a place for minimalist botanical art, but I’m a maximalist when it comes to color. My work is almost always incredibly colourful! One of my colleagues even said I use color in a Fauvist way. I just feel much more joyous and alive when I'm working with colour.
When people interact with my botanical work, they often say they feel an aliveness and energy coming out of it. They mention almost a sensuality in terms of this real connection with botanical beings and a feeling of joy and celebration around them.
Some of my clients put huge amounts of bright work all over the walls. Others just want to focus on one piece. For example, I had a client who wanted my Mixteca Maguey print to be the centrepiece of their dining room. So that was on one wall at the end in the dining room, and all their colourways for the space were chosen according to the print. Botanical art allows us to choose what kinds of natural energy and colors we bring into our own homes based on what resonates with the spirit in us.
4. Trends and truths in plant art
Botanical arts truly have a lasting appeal, but I think its popularity goes through phases. There are cycles of art trends around plants, and some movements aren’t started for profound reasons!
For instance, I’ve been inspired by the work of Georgia O'Keeffe, whose work is world famous. Less famous is one of the statements she made while creating her still lifes of orchids. She said, “I hate flowers. I paint them because they're cheaper than models and they don't move.” She’s got a great sense of humor to say that, knowing that people mainly recognize her close-up depictions of flowers rather than the cool landscape she did of New Mexico or her other various works.
The past few years there's been a monstrous obsession with plants, though I think it is waning a bit now. Because of COVID, people gained more respect for the notion of needing to be connected to other living beings in the plant world or the animal kingdom. That's an essential part of our being. That is not a trend or a hack.
Photo by Uriel Mont: https://www.pexels.com/photo/black-woman-choosing-potted-succulent-in-local-market-6280450/
Maybe the type of plants depicted in art will come and go as trends, but I think there's an innate knowledge that we as humans are part of this other world, not completely separate from it. That's where I feel the lasting appeal of botanical art lies. Flora is part of our environment, and ultimately a part of our psyche - we will always have a connection to plants.
Why do you love botanical art? I’d love to hear how you’ve incorporated art and living beings into your home in a way that’s meaningful to you.