The Naturalist
This title is derived from Seamus Heaney’s two-stanza poem, Death of a Naturalist (1966). My work draws from the first stanza in which the child encounters the natural world with openness and curiosity. The list of adjectives in the right panel is adapted from Gerard Manley Hopkins’ rhapsodic poem, Pied Beauty (1877).
The Naturalist was produced at Dieu Donné, the leading organization for hand paper making in the US. Click here to see the work being made: https://vimeo.com/944945073
The Naturalist Diptych
2024
Handmade pigmented cotton paper, embossed with custom 3D forms generated from drawings. Embossed areas gilded with 12 karat gold (left panel) and 22 karat gold (right panel).
Overall dimensions 60 x 80 inches (unframed)
Commissioned by Arkansas Museum of Fine Art as part of the exhibition Tricia Wright: The Naturalist, purchased by AMFA in 2024 for their permanent collection.