Grey Cube Gallery proudly presents the first Botanicals online art show for the month of September 2020. The show encompassed a range of artistic styles and mediums (photography, digital, mixed media, collage, pastel, oil on canvas, acrylics, watercolor, forged iron, bronze sculpture, fiber glass sculpture, crayon, gouache, graphite pencil, etching and polymer clay). Each submission has been judged based on the following elements of artistic expression: orginality and quality of art, overall design, creativity, interpretation of the theme, demonstration of artistic ability and usage of medium. Out of all entries, 146 artworks were shortlisted for inclusion in the show. The competition attracted entries from many countries across the world: USA, Canada, China, Brazil, United Kingdom, Taiwan, Austria, Japan, Australia, Switzerland, Spain, Germany, Russia, Israel, Sweden, France, Latvia, Guatemala, Georgia and Finland. Enjoy the show and thank you for expressing an interest in our competition.

My bronze sculptures are also a summary for the concept of art responsibility because are very durable, able to withstand the elements for many years when properly prepared. Finally, the ability to use corrosive materials to create a patina allows to create a vibrant coating, because bronze is an incredibly important historical art medium for sustainable sculpture, the best language for botanical meaning. To develop natural visions in fiberglass, is to create new visions of unknown nature with inner material, that is why in fiberglass I developed plants and many other possibilities and much more that sculpturally merge with color and shape in a different way of my other sculptures in alabaster and bronze, which also represent the universal experiences that surround us.

In my artistic practice, I listen and follow the material and my intuition. It is important for me to understand how the iron moves, so I can collaborate with it to create artwork. I explore forms of complexity through traditional blacksmith techniques. In this I combine traditional Sámi aesthetics with contemporary art forms. I work with nature and mythological aspects. To express these forms is necessary to get the characteristics of primitive and organic into my work. To show that rough and fragile beauty of the arctic wilds. These pieces combine two carrying themes I usually work with; the mythology of the Sámi people and the vegetation of Sápmi land. Suoldni series is my abstraction of that moment between life and death, between resisting and submitting. There's a beauty in death as there is in life but, to me, the real beauty of being is in between these two. It is a celebration of existence and peace that can be experienced every autumn when the weather turns cold and frost covers the life summer has created.

My commitment to the health of our planet has intensified as I learn about the perils of climate change. I want my artwork to highlight the beauty of our natural landscape, as I interpret and portray the dynamics of space, light and form. In nature, these relationships strike me when I see the gentle arch of a branch; a statuesque, majestic trunk; or a plant that spreads its leaves in fanciful directions. I am driven to compose artwork that demonstrates how these natural elements relate to each other and their surroundings. To fully express my vision, my work features a bas-relief / 3-D effect, lifting certain elements to emphasize the spatial dynamics of the composition. It is important to me that I create work that invites the viewer into the scene, compelling them to consider our precious, natural landscape in terms of shape, form and space. My pieces begin with original photos, printed on drawing paper. The photos are then mounted in sections, with some pieces elevated to interpret the dynamics of the space. I then draw into the piece, using graphite, colored pencil, and charcoal, to highlight and accentuate light, shadow, spaces and forms, until my vision is realized.

Leah Dockrill has been engaged with the visual arts for over thirty years. Her art practice includes painting (acrylic and watercolour) and handcut paper collage. Her subject matter in painting covers a broad range - landscapes , botanicals, abstracts and still life. She moves comfortably between the various media, deriving energy and inspiration from the mundane and the glamorous. Leah's work has been exhibited in Canada and the U.S. and she has earned many awards. In recent years, several art and literature journals and reviews have published images of her art. Some of these are Split Rock Review, Cosumnes River Journal, 805Lit+Art, High Shelf Press, The Esthetic Apostle, Glassworks Magazine, Beyond Words Literary Magazine, and ArtAscent: Art & Literature Journal. Leah is represented by Tag Art Gallery, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada and nowords Gallery, Cambridge, Ontario. She is an elected member of the Society of Canadian Artists and the Colour and Form Society. Leah lives in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, with her husband and cats, and more of Leah's art can be viewed at www.leahdockrill.net