‘With the world changing so fast and the loss of nature on a global scale - it just inspires me to cherish all the beauty and diversity that we have and to work harder to become more sustainable and share everything I can. I know you love nature too and I'm so grateful for your love and support.’ — Apothecary Artist
As you may have seen, over these last few months, we've shared alot about the much anticipated Daymaker Stationery x Apothecary Artist 'Floriography' collection. So far, the range includes little notepads, note cards and some original paintings but there’s plenty more to come! Yes, the series is gosh darn beautiful but there’s a whole lot more to it that you may not know!
At the very heart of this series is one Dr Lewis, or as you may already know her Apothecary Artist. Her work focuses on the delicate balance of science and history and how it is manifested in the very genesis of fine art; it's medium. She aims to bring historical painting methods and recipes to modern evolution through the lens of sustainability and a deep love of nature.
‘…I make art, I draw and paint, study, research and explore the recipes and techniques once used by artists throughout the centuries. Sometimes feeling more like a chef than a modern-day painter, I work with deliciously luscious ingredients eggs, vodka, walnuts, pomegranates and more. Every day in the studio is an exhilarating learning experience, as I explore the chemistry, the Botanics of painting and turn it into new art.’
In order to understand Apothecary Artists’ genius and how deeply holistic this 'Floriography' series is, we must understand where it began.
Dr Lewis’ life’s work began as a child travelling through Europe with her family. She had fallen in love with the old paintings and was eager to learn to create art like the greats. Like any aspiring artist, she went to art school. Only to discover a lack of education regarding historic art methods and their mediums.
So, she taught herself.
It became a lifelong journey of discovering wonderful ingredients that represented the time. She found layers and layers of history in the materials, techniques and skills, that would otherwise be lost. Each ingredient and recipe are clues to the synergy society and culture have with art.
And as a beautiful byproduct of her research, she found that these methods were so much more gentle on the planet. Being free from synthetics that end up in our ecosystem and damage the very plants we speak of, on a huge scale.
The series celebrates Dr Lewis’ research. For each flower represented, she created a natural pigment using said flower as the main ingredient. For example, the beautiful soft copper colour used to paint the Banksia was made from Banksia stems.
Floriography, for those curious, is ‘cryptological communication' through the use of flower arrangements or simply put; the language of flowers. Traditionally, however, floriography uses flowers from the Northern Hemisphere to form symbolism.
Dr Lewis wanted to create a floriography series that represented not only the traditional Northern Hemisphere symbology but Australian and Indigenous heritage and culture too. So, each posy became a kind of poem...
Banksia: protection, regeneration, discovery.
Chamomile sunray: energy in action, patience, ingenuity.
Lilli Pilli: friend of birds, you have my love, inspiration.
Grevillea: impulsive acts of love, sweetness, abundance.
Wattle: unity, national pride, resilience.
While it is so special to share language, it is often the subtle representations of language that mean the most. We love everything about this collaboration and hope you will too!
