In recent weeks we have been directing readers to free botanical art in the Public Domain. If you need inspiration as to what you could do with it, look no further than San Francisco based artist Alexis Anne Mackenzie. A fabulous, successful collagist, Mackenzie sources much of her primary material it seems from old natural history books and has become adept at parlaying those into eclectic, modern artworks of great appeal. Flowers and plant parts, a constant through-out her work, are hand-fused with other zoological, anatomical or cultural bits, forming something altogether original. Apart from visiting her website, we also really enjoyed watching this rather old You Tube video (see below), where the artist talks about her process with unassuming charm. In her own words she states “I kind of see it as Pseudoscience, it’s almost like genetic engineering”. It’s brilliant that’s what it is. Achieving something similar is going to be difficult, there’s just something in the way she moves things about. At times she arranges the pieces into words, adding a somewhat hidden, poetry to her artworks – see examples below. If you’re in San Francisco now, go see her latest exhibition, where she presents another style of collage, in which plants most certainly take the starring role. There’s lots more to enjoy on her website and associated illustration portfolio.
“False Positive IV” (2012)
“Cacteyes III” (2012)
“Crocodile Tears” (2010).
“Short Night of the Glass Dolls” (2010)