Forest Dreams: Trees, Weeds and Wonder in Paint and Collage by Natasha Smith

An exhibition of work by Borders-based artist Natasha Smith opens on 30 August at Hawick
Museum. ‘Forest Dreams’ features paintings in acrylic with mixed media, incorporating
elements of collage and drawing. The colours she uses reflect the incandescence of our
natural world. It is all about the trees and unnoticed plants – so-called weeds – their magic
and their vital role in our continued survival on this verdant planet.
Natasha explains: “I work with the plants, often using them to apply paint. I use them
directly to print. I work intuitively and let the work lead me where it will. I hope to convey
something of the mystery of nature and our inescapable relationship to the natural world.
My work springs from my awareness of our entanglement with and interdependence on the
natural world. It is created intuitively, inviting a chance to play a part. I work in acrylic
layers, adding pencil scribbles, slashes of pastel, some collage, and washes, often applying
paint with my finger, using a roller, or printing directly from plant material, also sanding,
rubbing away and painting over.
Recent work focuses on trees and the crucial part they play and will continue to play in the
future of our planet. My painting is a journey of reflection.”

August – October: Wednesday – Monday 11:00 – 16:00 (closed Tuesday)
November: Friday – Monday 11:00 – 15:00 (closed Tuesday – Thursday)