Erin Joslyn

 

​​These fantastical floral portraits take inspiration from traditional botanical illustration, a frequently overlooked genre which typically depicts enlarged specimens floating in an undefined space. My emphasis in each image is on the pistil – the floret studded orb at the flower’s center, the biological structure akin to the female reproductive system and visually evocative of the human ovary. The series charts developmental stages analogous to birth, menarche, pregnancy, menopause and death. Although the form of these flowers are rooted in the physical world, they strive to convey something far greater, much like the female life cycle itself - monumental in spirit, almost planetary in scope. The rich, translucent color is achieved with alcohol ink – a relatively new medium that I have worked with almost exclusively for the past 15 years. Each image is composed of anywhere from 10 to 30 individually sealed layers. I often describe my process as “painting with layers of colored light.”