Morag Colquhoun

Morag Colquhoun will be exhibiting a wax sculpture ‘Tormentil’ at Nature Morte.

“I make wax plants in order to enter slow time and to explore ecosystems. Each model has to be made with the live plant available for the casting of its leaves and reproduction of its colour, form, patterning and – most importantly - the ‘jizz’ of the plant: its essential and unique ‘aliveness’. The making schedule is therefore dictated by the specific life or season of each plant. I have to complete each model before the plant fades or dies in front of me. This tormentil flower is from the Elan Valley: in many ways a typical microcosm of upland Wales with traditional hill farming culture yet especially rich in wild flower meadows due to the fact that during the 20th century, farm land around Elan reservoirs was left 'unimproved' to protect the watershed from agri-chemicals and pollutants. The flower-rich pastures support insects and pollinators, including the rare Tormentil mining bee.” Morag Colquhoun, 2018.

Colquhoun’ s Tormentil transcends into the slow time she mentions, the impressive realism of the piece allows both the creator and the viewer  linger with the plant material, and the time in which they spend with it. The work extends the notion of realism and vanitas in Dutch Still Life, but magically modernizes this concept.