Jess • 13 • Cork

12-15 Category   •  2026
Artist’s Brief – This is Nature My artwork is based on the idea that nature can be found in the most surprising places. I live beside a medieval graveyard that is still used today. Some of the headstones are very old and date back to the 1800s. Even though it is a place connected with death and history it is also full of life if you stop and look closely. I went to the graveyard on a dark rainy day and took photographs with my phone for inspiration. Everything was very grey and quiet but suddenly I noticed a bright green fern growing out of a stone wall. The wall was old and cracked and the bright green of the fern looked out of place. The green colour really stood out against the stones and the gloomy weather and it made me think about how nature finds a way to grow in places you would not expect. I chose to use colouring pencils first because I like how they allow me to add finer details and texture especially for the leaves of the fern. Using Procreate I layered a photograph I had taken of a lichen covered headstone over my drawing. I chose lichen because it grows slowly and I like to think it takes back spaces made by people. It also has amazing colours. I hope this artwork shows that nature is not just found in forests or fields. For me, ‘This Is Nature’ means finding something beautiful where you least expect it. It can grow through cracks in a wall, in secret places and even in graveyards.