Jane Carkill
Illustration
Flora and fauna has always been the ultimate inspiration for Jane’s work. A graduate of Textile Art, Critical Theory and Professional Arts Practice living in the west of Ireland, the unique terrain of her homeland is her first memory of belonging in the natural world. It is a vehicle she feels is ideal for creating art ‘It possesses a unique character, my private setting of botanical specimens, fauna and man-made dirt roads.; a place ripe with personal history, folklore and memory, primal and elegant as one. It is a habitat that is rich and diverse, yet fragile, in constant need of surveillance and conservation. It rewards close observation‘.
Jane has a preference for natural ephemeral beauty and intricate detail, fascinated by the precise style of illustration seen in the 1800’s referenced for scientific accuracy. She likes to combine this aspect with a personal love of folklore, often referencing fauna and flora that hold ancient value in myths and stories from Irish history and her personal memories.
Photography and drawing from life play a fundamental role in Jane’s work. She focuses on the practice of the artist being submerged in nature itself. ‘The landscape is abundant with animal and wildlife inspiration; I find imagery very accessible and easy to source. I use photography to capture real stills, imagery from the landscape and minute details of objects and animals. I also have gathered an ever expanding collection of natural objects which aids me in my drawing’.
‘My ultimate goal is to combine my passion for narration, observation and listening into an essence which is material;
a drawing’.
