Close up of white wax magnolia flower sculpture with layered petals<br />

Asian Flowers

Materials – Beeswax and paraffin wax, tinned copper wire, tissue paper, cotton thread, artists’ pigments, acrylic paint, acrylic varnish. Mounted in glass domes with white painted wooden bases.

A collection developed for presentation at the Karin Weber Gallery, Hong Kong, drawing on accounts of Victorian plant hunters who travelled by sea in search of exotic flora to bring to Britain.

The works depict flowering plants associated with Chinese seasonal symbolism and domestic culture, including magnolia, chrysanthemum, camellia, and orchid. Though now familiar within British gardens and parklands, these flowers carry layered significance often obscured beyond the places and traditions from which they came.

Contained within glass domes and reflective surfaces, the sculptures move between interior and exterior worlds. Reflections from windows, rooms, and surrounding landscapes fall across the glass, while flowers gathered from the outside environment become preserved interior objects. Histories of collecting, transport, display, and cultural exchange remain quietly embedded within the work, suggesting how meanings become detached as living things move across time, geography, and systems of viewing.

Spring (Magnolia)

Date – 2023
Dimensions – H46 x ⌀24 cm
White wax magnolia flower and leaves displayed inside a clear glass vase beneath a glass dome
Close up detail of white wax magnolia flower, leaves and stem displayed inside a clear glass vase
Close up detail of white wax magnolia flower, leaves and stem displayed inside a clear glass vase

Autumn (Chrysanthemum)

Date – 2023
Dimensions – H40 x ⌀20cm
Red wax chrysanthemum flower and leaves displayed inside a clear glass vase beneath a glass dome
Close up detail of white red chrysanthemum flower, leaves and stem displayed inside a clear glass vase
Red Chrysanthemum flower, leaves and stem displayed inside a clear glass vase

Winter (Camellia)

Date – 2023
Dimensions – H40 x ⌀20cm
Wax Camellia flower with leaves and stem inside a glass dome
Wax Camellia flower with leaves and stem inside a glass vase

Orchid

Date – 2023
Dimensions – ⌀20cm
Wax orchid with flowers leaves and roots mounted in a glass hemisphere