Jo Self spent two years as artist-in-residence at Kew Gardens, a position created specially for her. Her bold, deceptively simple large-scale paintings of flowers are a striking blend of the sensuous and the symbolic.
Self has been painting flowers since 1993, and this book is a record and an exploration of her work. The first part of the book contains four essays, each discussing a different aspect of Self's work. The contributors will be: the author and broadcaster Will Self - Jo Self's brother-in-law - the garden writer Elspeth Thomspon and the art critic Sarah Kent. Also included is a revealing interview with the artist by the critic Cathy Courtney. The second part of the book contains full-colour reproductions Jo Self's bold, compelling paintings. This book also features newly commissioned photographs of Jo's studio and garden in South London.
Jo Self paints flowers in a style that is deliberately remote from botanical art ... None aims at botanical accuracy, but each one illuminates its subject, presenting the flower with vigour and zest so that it attains quasi-iconic status - House & Garden
There is much to be learned from the way poets and artists look at the natural world ... - Sunday Telegraph
Publication Details:
Binding: Hardback, 144 pages ISBN: 9780711222199 Format: 280mm x 280mm
200 photographs and paintings
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