ABOUT

Jessica Naylor’s art engages with the negative impacts that humans have on the environment to encourage change. By searching for found objects in sites where nature has been damaged by humans, Naylor gives a new purpose to delicate materials that are overlooked and unappreciated. Sharing the beauty that can be found in the most unexpected of objects is fundamental to Naylor’s practice which has emerged from her upbringing surrounded by nature in the countryside. Her work challenges the conventional perceptions of beauty in the natural world by using weeds and dead leaves she prompts the viewer to search for a deeper appreciation of the medicinal and practical offerings that plants provide. Working with printing and photographic processes Naylor uses raw forms of nature instead of wasting harsh chemicals and using excessive amounts of ink. Using various printmaking techniques, she extends her prints over the edges of the paper to interrupt the printmaking tradition of staying within the margins. Crafting an intimate dialogue between humans and nature is crucial to Naylor’s process of embossing which produces gentle impressions from natural objects without wasting printing inks. Encouraging the plant matter to alter her work, Naylor embraces the infusion between the precise mark making and the uncontrollable leaks from plant substances. Naylor’s practice explores the themes of restoration, recycling, and repair which invite viewers to consider the pressures that humans are inflicting upon the environment by using unsustainable resources.