12” x 16” watercolor paper. Faber Castell Polychromos pencil, Caran d’ache Aquarelle, Gouache.

Plants and Concrete: Aggressive Coexistence

Plants display tenacity in the world around us. They seem to survive in places where they are either not welcome or not nurtured to succeed. This is especially evident when we look at the common use of concrete in urban and suburban communities. As a man-made material, concrete does not have a symbiotic relationship with plants. Yet the two have coexisted for centuries.

The idea behind Aggressive Coexistence is to get people to notice this relationship by showing dimensional moments of the two together. The plants gathered are preserved with an acrylic primer. By taking the color out of the situation, we see them as symbols rather than specific plants. They are then pressed into wet concrete that hardens, thereby freezing the moment in time. These pieces remind us of the relationship – the perpetual rivalry between the organic and the man-made, and the eternal struggle to coexist.

A process exploration: photography, photo transfer, watercolors, graphite and acrylics.

A process exploration: oil, graphite, photo transfer and embroidery study

It all starts with a donut hole. Plant one in the ground and watch a Donut Tree grow.

Two studies:

11”x14” graphite and oil on canvas

18”x24” ink and graphite on toned sketch paper

It all starts with a donut hole.

18”x24” botanical study of Donut Tree seed pods, bloom, and leaves

Botanical study of a Donut Tree Bloom.

18”×24” pencil, ink, oil pastels, gouache

A collection of my photos about plants that grow in the street. The macro images I’ve captured here evoke expansive scenes of landscape photography. Scroll down for more.

16” x 12” photographic print.

Inspired by the Walking Palm trees that are capable of moving themselves closer to sources of water. This is my botanical surrealism exploration.

A found object is a term used to describe an item that is deemed common and therefore something to be discarded. Coined by the Dadaist, Marcel Duchamp, the practice of collecting these objects and repositioning them in the mind of a viewer is a way to challenge traditional art.

The items shared here are all naturally occurring, so one could say they have influenced art for thousands of years. But today, they are all too often unseen. By taking away their familiar colors, they look new and different – something we might actually notice despite their common presence in the world that surrounds us.

I like to document my travels and record what I see. These are my carbon pencil road trip sketches of various plants and experiences across Colorado, New Mexico and Texas. Overlooked plants along the roads and highways I travel on are of special interest to me. Many of them are incredibly resilient, surviving and even thriving with no help from humans. I believe they deserve more study and documentation. Who knows what we can learn from them and how these learnings can help our environmental future? Scroll down to see more.

Seed study: the Elephant garlic bloom.

“Death brings life. Life brings death.” Marieke Nijkamp

Giant alliums that dry into seed-bearing flowers.

Photo manipulation

Seed study: Senna Alata medicinal tree

“Death brings life. Life brings death.” Marieke Nijkamp

Dried pods from the Senna Alata are commonly known as the Candleabra Plant.

Photo manipulation

Seed study: Datura

“Death brings life. Life brings death.” Marieke Nijkamp

Datura is a genus species of extremely poisonous flowering plants that are part of the nightshade family (Solanaceae). Not surprisingly, they’re commonly known as thornapples. The seed pod is visually fascinating because it clearly communicates its toxicity.

10”x10” Photomanipulation

Potato heart. 6×9. Ink, Faber Castell Polychromos Color Pencil.

poppy pods. 6 x 12 Watercolor paper. Watercolors, Faber-Castell Polychromos pencils, Prismacolor, gouache.

5 x 7 cotton paper. Carbon pencil, Faber Castell Polychromos colored pencils, gouache, ink pen.