In my early twenties I traveled and worked for a month in Sumatra during a backpacking trip around the World. The island was almost entirely covered in dense forest and quite unlike anywhere I had visited before. It was partly with these memories in mind that I began my artwork 'Fragility' and partly in the knowledge that since my visit three-quarters of the forest has been felled.
After researching the species of flora and fauna native to Sumatra, I decided to attempt a representation of the complete ecosystem of the forest as a collage within a large glass jar.
I began by making multiple painted and printed textures on paper. After scanning them into my computer, I was able to digitally alter suitable areas so they could be printed out in the most appropriate colour and size. Within the abstract images I often discovered shapes and textures that already resembled plants, rocks, water and even animals, which I was able to make use of. By cutting these out and assembling them on a board, I built up a scene which I transferred to the inside surface the jar.
'Fragility' went on to win first prize in the Lancashire Open Art Exhibition 2017.
