In February I will be holding my first solo exhibition of over 30 new watercolour paintings at Abbott and Holder in London. For this exhibition, I explore my vision of a botanical dystopia, challenging our own sense of scale, its value and how we measure it.
The story began when I picked up a leaf from a London pavement in July 2014. At the time I was moving house and felt that the condition of the leaf told my own story. It had been scuffed by the streets of the city and was no longer attached to the tree, but blowing across the floor in the wind. Like me, it was on the move.
After carefully painting this leaf larger than life size I was drawn to paint another and another. Eventually, after months of painting these leaf portraits, all from different moments in time and place, I have created a visual story. Some of these leaves measure over a meter in length.
For the past two years I have also collected the environmental sounds from where each leaf was growing. The resulting soundtrack has been arranged by musician Derek Thompson (Hoodlum Priest) who, though a process of both precise and random digital manipulation, has created a composition where place, time and space become intertwined. In this dystopian soundtrack we can hear the sounds from London’s East End and the Sussex seaside as well as the birdsong and the rhythmic clanging of goat bells in Granada, Spain. The idea of recording sound introduces a completely new element to botanical art and I hope that this interpretation of both the natural and human worlds will encourage listeners to be as aware of the diversity and beauty of sound in the city as much as that of the countryside.
More info: inkyleaves.com
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They are so fascinating. There is so much to see apart from the obvious. Some look like photos of the earth taken from a plane. These renderings are lovely, I wish I had this artist's talent. Just appreciate the simple subject, but appreciate the intricate beauty of color, shape, & form. I would love to see these in person.
Thank you Cheryl. I am really pleased you like them and can take this much from them. Many have said they are like images from Google Earth. If you want to come to the show it is open from the 16th February for nine days. I am also going to be selling a book on kickstarter next week.
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Amazing, at first I thought they were photographs of beautiful leaves, then I looked closer. Stunning! How long do they take to paint?
Thank you Charlotte, I am so happy you like them. They can take roughly a month to paint, but sometimes longer.
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Thank you Naomi! I am delighted that you like the paintings!
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at first I thought you said you paint ON leaves and just saw "photos" of leaves and asked myself where the painting part comes in.. then i realised the leaves where painted :O stunning
Haha! That's brilliant. Apologies in confusing you. Yep, these are all painted in watercolour. Really happy to hear that you like them. That's super. Thank you for commenting !
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They are giant watercolour paintings of leaves Dawn, it is a botanical art project, but it is doing something that hasn't been done before in botanical art. I am sorry to hear that you don't get it. I guess there isn't really anything to get - it's just something pretty to look at. There is a concept to the collection, but one probably needs to see them in real life to see that. Hope this helps?
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Wonderful paintings. I love drawing/painting in high detail, natural things like bark, flowers, seeds, leaves, stones, dirt, are so beautiful and grow more and more beautiful the more intensely you look at them. I'm full of admiration for what you've done.
They are very beautiful and incredibly realistic. It's amazing that you were able to achieve that in watercolor. That's not easy, so hats off to you for such great technical abilities.
If you are interested, I am raising money to publish the second edition of the Leafscape book: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/inkyleaves/leafscape-a-book-by-inky-leaves IMG_201702...d6530c.jpg 
I'm really sorry but I don't get it! Sorry :( I really am TT I'm sorry!!!!!!!!! Can anyone please explain these and help me?
This is a collection of watercolour paintings of leaves that are all really big - some of then are over a meter in length. I thought I'd just share some of my work with you all in case of interest as I will be showing the work for the first time in London next week. Does this help at all?
Load More Replies...
I was scrolling down looking for the paintings. All I was seeing was photographs. Astonishing.
I guess these painting do look like photographs - some of them especially so, but I can confirm that I painted them all in watercolour. Delighted to hear that you are astonished. That's a super reaction. Thanks
Load More Replies...
These are all so stunning. It must take a lot of patience and determination to create such beautiful works of art.
Thank you Hatsune - it does take a lot of time, but when I am fully immersed in my work, time just disappears and I don't feel it. I just get lost in the paint, which is probably just as well! Really happy to hear you like the work. Thanks
Load More Replies... Amazing work. I love the detail in each one. All the best for the exhibition!
Thanks - that is really kind of you and I am very grateful.
Load More Replies... If you are interested in coming to the show, details can be found here: www.inkyleaves.com/leafscape and the gallery website is: http://www.abbottandholder-thelist.co.uk/jess-shepherd-leafscape
It would be super to see you there! Untitled-5...17b70a.jpg 
They are so fascinating. There is so much to see apart from the obvious. Some look like photos of the earth taken from a plane. These renderings are lovely, I wish I had this artist's talent. Just appreciate the simple subject, but appreciate the intricate beauty of color, shape, & form. I would love to see these in person.
Thank you Cheryl. I am really pleased you like them and can take this much from them. Many have said they are like images from Google Earth. If you want to come to the show it is open from the 16th February for nine days. I am also going to be selling a book on kickstarter next week.
Load More Replies... Amazing, at first I thought they were photographs of beautiful leaves, then I looked closer. Stunning! How long do they take to paint?
Thank you Charlotte, I am so happy you like them. They can take roughly a month to paint, but sometimes longer.
Load More Replies... Thank you Naomi! I am delighted that you like the paintings!
Load More Replies... at first I thought you said you paint ON leaves and just saw "photos" of leaves and asked myself where the painting part comes in.. then i realised the leaves where painted :O stunning
Haha! That's brilliant. Apologies in confusing you. Yep, these are all painted in watercolour. Really happy to hear that you like them. That's super. Thank you for commenting !
Load More Replies... They are giant watercolour paintings of leaves Dawn, it is a botanical art project, but it is doing something that hasn't been done before in botanical art. I am sorry to hear that you don't get it. I guess there isn't really anything to get - it's just something pretty to look at. There is a concept to the collection, but one probably needs to see them in real life to see that. Hope this helps?
Load More Replies... Wonderful paintings. I love drawing/painting in high detail, natural things like bark, flowers, seeds, leaves, stones, dirt, are so beautiful and grow more and more beautiful the more intensely you look at them. I'm full of admiration for what you've done.
They are very beautiful and incredibly realistic. It's amazing that you were able to achieve that in watercolor. That's not easy, so hats off to you for such great technical abilities.
If you are interested, I am raising money to publish the second edition of the Leafscape book: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/inkyleaves/leafscape-a-book-by-inky-leaves IMG_201702...d6530c.jpg
I'm really sorry but I don't get it! Sorry :( I really am TT I'm sorry!!!!!!!!! Can anyone please explain these and help me?
This is a collection of watercolour paintings of leaves that are all really big - some of then are over a meter in length. I thought I'd just share some of my work with you all in case of interest as I will be showing the work for the first time in London next week. Does this help at all?
Load More Replies... I was scrolling down looking for the paintings. All I was seeing was photographs. Astonishing.
I guess these painting do look like photographs - some of them especially so, but I can confirm that I painted them all in watercolour. Delighted to hear that you are astonished. That's a super reaction. Thanks
Load More Replies... These are all so stunning. It must take a lot of patience and determination to create such beautiful works of art.
Thank you Hatsune - it does take a lot of time, but when I am fully immersed in my work, time just disappears and I don't feel it. I just get lost in the paint, which is probably just as well! Really happy to hear you like the work. Thanks
Load More Replies... Amazing work. I love the detail in each one. All the best for the exhibition!
Thanks - that is really kind of you and I am very grateful.
Load More Replies... If you are interested in coming to the show, details can be found here: www.inkyleaves.com/leafscape and the gallery website is: http://www.abbottandholder-thelist.co.uk/jess-shepherd-leafscape
It would be super to see you there! Untitled-5...17b70a.jpg
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