INKQ Edition #2

For our second edition of INKQ, we are delighted to showcase the stunning photographic work of Anna Laurent whose botanical studies move beyond the decorative to fascinate and inspire us. Her concise but insightful piece on the life and work of Anna Atkins serves as an interesting counterpoint in the development of botanical photography. Equally, Ashleaf’s bronze leaf sculptures take us beyond the usual depictions of living flora. Decaying leaves, their decomposition captured forever in bronze capture the impermanence of life.

For our first year of INKQ, we have been developing a theme of Blue across all four editions, and this has been carried through by the other contributors. Nikki Simpson gives us a seasonally apt study of bluebells and Jenny Balfour-Paul ponders the history and uses of Indigo. Art and botany collide in a sublime manner in David Nash’s organic sculptural work; Blue Ring. Ten years in the making, from concept to completion, it is a startling work; bold in execution and calming in experience.

Another of Scott Beadle’s always compelling pieces on the worlds beyond our planet finds itself within our pages, once again providing a view beyond the otherwise earthly plant matter covered elsewhere.

Finally, the wait is over to see the latest finished artwork by J R Shepherd. ‘The Kiss; Onslow Gardens’ is a trans-formative piece for the artist. It’s inclusion here is a subtle reminder of the brittle and transient nature of our lives. Although both allegorical and symbolical in creation and intent, its scale and execution manage to transcend base interpretation. A finely observed study of the Agapanthus, the work marks the artist’s first material steps into the universe of Blue.

Once again, beautifully packaged and presented and printed on recycled, lightweight paper reminiscent of newsprint, the fragility and near transparency of the medium resonates with the content; an attempt by people who do know better, to capture the essence of the natural world. Art and science meet and have a jolly good time.

Issue 2 is limited in edition to 300 copies.