Biophilia and Art

Biophilia means a love of life or living things and refers to the natural tendency of humans to affiliate with nature and life outdoors, as defined by the American Biologist E. O. Wilson.

I feel it’s a particularly pertinent area given current  issues we face through global warming and climate change, threatening the health and preservation of our beautiful planet.

It is also central to the art I make, which is influenced by the countryside around me here in East Devon. Walking in my local area gives me so much inspiration from abstract landscapes to the small details of trees, plants, streams etc, which often reveal miniature, intricate and colourful ‘worlds’. We have beautiful woodlands around Sidmouth, such as Harpford wood, where you can follow the old railway track closed since 1967, down to Tipton St. John. Equally you can wander over one of the pebbled heaths like Aylesbeare Common, home to a myriad of wildlife including the Dartford Warbler, Nightjars and rare butterflys.

Albert Einstein said ‘ There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle’.

Engaging with the natural world through art is a wonderful stress buster, promoting calm and sensory experiences. Looking at nature inspired art, photographs and organic objects and images, can give a boost to mental well being and help us to reconnect with the natural world.

Artists such as Georgia O’Keeffe, Paul Cezanne, Yayoi Kusama and Vincent Van Gogh are a few examples of famous artists, who repeatedly investigated nature inspired themes through art.

If you want to invest in a new painting or print to create a calming vibe, nature inspired art could be your perfect choice, whether this be natural colours, organic shapes, landscapes, flower or fruit studies, the choice is yours.