PLANT Beth Morgan
PLANT An exhibition of work by Beth Morgan Jordans Solicitors Unity Hall, Smyth Street, Wakefield WF1 1EP Wednesday 30th January 2019 17:00 - 20:00
Up close, plants are strange. The shapes and forms that make them up when observed at a close perspective are obscure, abstract and complex. For example, the leaves on a dandelion that cradle the newly grown flower bud create sharp, jagged points that almost resemble teeth. The buds themselves, succulent green blobs, resemble alien forms, entrapping the violent yellow petals within. When seen close up, the mind cannot make a connection between these parts, the type of plant or the context of its growth, so to understand it the brain breaks it down into ‘the simplest organisation of the whole context’ (Law Whyte, p.201, 1968), shape and colour.
Plant is a product of this process. Observations of plants defined as weeds on walks around Wakefield have lead to responses through painted and sculptural processes. These selected works draw from remembered experience and perceptions, resulting in artistic responses that resemble nature yet are not clearly definable as nature; organic, yet abstract, combinations of colour and form that are strangely familiar. Drawing upon my own experiences, this exhibition is part of a continuing exploration into the forms of plants and my developing understanding of their complexities.
Whyte, L. L. (1968). Aspects of form: A symposium on form in nature and art (2nd ed.). London: Lund Humphries.
Plant installation view.
Plant sculptures installation view.
Plant paintings installation view.
This catalogue was published by Beth Morgan on the occasion of her solo exhibition entitled Plant, which was held on 30th January, 2019 at Jordans Solicitors, Wakefield. Installation photographs by David Lindsay