Pastel Dream Scape

‘Pastel Dreamscape’ is a mixed medium installation that entices the viewer into a pink and purple fantasy world. Inspiration began from my grandmother’s garden where I found myself amongst the natural beauties of flowers, animals, and fairy ornaments. Being immersed within nature influenced my artistic approach to this piece. As a result of the impact the experience gave me, I decided to focus on individual objects from her garden - in particular, foxes and rabbits - by moulding them into my own distinct creations. This practice focuses on the escapism from reality and general perception of natural occurrences and the emotions they evoke. ‘Pastel Dreamscape’ does this by challenging the ‘true colours of nature’ and furthermore, encouraging a personalistic view to scenes, usually observed mundanely in day-to-day life.
‘Pastel Dreamscape’ combines both painting and sculpture to create a vibrant and enticing realm, representative of the alternate ways in which nature can be perceived dependent on an individuals’ perspective. Hanging on the wall is an acrylic landscape painting, bursting with 3D plastic, artificial flowers, and butterflies. Their 3D nature makes them clearly observable and represents their integral role in the functioning of natural processes, such as photosynthesis. The floral sculptures and plaster animal moulds allow you to be fully immersed and engulfed in the painting and provides a realistic and enticing aspect to the landscape. These sculptures are made from: acrylic plastic; recycled materials; and natural wood from a tree cut down in my grandmother's garden. I have used electrics in this piece to create movement and light- particularly used to demonstrate the constant flux and change which occurs in nature to adapt to challenges it may face. One of the sculptures has been built to spin by using a recycled battery powered drill. The viewer can choose to turn this on or off by switch. Using a material from nature such as wood has been modified from its natural self to match with the unique environment it has been put in. This can be seen as a simulacrum, which refers to the representation of something that has no original.
‘Pastel Dreamscape’ can be seen as a copy of a copy, blurring the lines between reality and illusion. As an example, landscapes have been produced many times by artists, most being realistic copies from a photograph. However, using simulacra, I aim to transport viewers to an imaginary world that exists solely in my imagination, this allows me to express my creativity and enables me to share my unique vision with others. Understanding simulacra allows us to explore the concept of perception and question what is real, like diving into a world of possibilities.
As my past works have been based on a real place, inspired by a photograph, I used my imagination and memories of past life experiences such as hikes in Wales, the Lake District, and the Peak District, to create this unique painting. This scene is therefore a clear simulacrum -as it does not exist. My aim is to encourage the viewer to enter a realm alternate to any they have experienced in the past and evoke significant emotion. This breathtaking fantasy world can be adapted to be personal to the viewer, by taking artificial flowers and butterflies from the pink basket displayed and sticking or placing them anywhere on the installation to initiate a further intimate connection for the viewer.