Fieldwork with Mainie and Albrecht, a solo exhibition by Yanny Petters, 6 October - 10 November 2024

Yanny Petters, Bogland, Verre Eglomisé, 42x30cm 

Marsh Marigold, Bogbean, Large-flowered Butterwort, Round-leaved Sundew, Bog Asphodel, Bog Pimpernel

Bogs are a vital part of our landscape, helping to mitigate floods and supporting a wide range of flora and fauna. 

Over the years I have spent time exploring bogs, always in awe of the amazing plants that grow there. In 2003 I created a series of paintings of bog plants which now reside in the Office of Public Works collection. 

When planning this painting I knew straight away that Gustav Klimt’s fabulous work would evoke the plants of the bog beautifully.

I grew up with Art Nouveau in our house and with relations in Vienna, I was aware of Klimt from an early age. I love his use of distorted pattern, swinging and swirling forms and the emotive use of colours and gold.

His work sits well with the bog plants, my stylized versions evoking the risqué elements of Klimt’s work. Some plants even lend themselves to creating patterns which reflect the artists Art Nouveau style.

Yanny Petters, The Burren, Verre Eglomisé, 30x21cm (private collection)

Common Twayblade, Bee Orchid, Quaking Grass, Bloody Cranesbill, Mountain Avens

The Burren has been a favourite place since my childhood. The amazing variety of jewel like plants makes this a unique and precious landscape.

The balance of habitats on the limestone landscape is actually the result of human activity, and the alpine plants survive due to the bare rock warming up in summer. 

Burren Beo do vital work in caring for this fascinating landscape with traditional farming methods and raising awareness of the delicacy of this habitat.

Choosing Charles René Mackintosh to reflect the plants of the Burren proved an elegant pairing. His watercolours, which I’ve always admired were an excellent source of inspiration. 

The delicate ink line with washes applied in layers, sometimes creating new colours with this layering give his work a soft translucence. 

I could have chosen many plants but those I’ve depicted are some of the iconic Burren flowers which I search out whenever I’m in the area. The Bee orchid and the Quaking grass are so beautiful.

Yanny Petters, Hedgerow, Verre Eglomisé, 39x32cm

Bramble, Hawthorn, Wild strawberry, Honeysuckle

Hedgerows are vital wildlife corridors and an ancient hedgerow can support up to 3000 organisms. 

In the absence of deciduous forest in Ireland hedgerows help to mitigate flooding and soil erosion and nurture pollinators with their wide variety of plants. They are an iconic feature of the Irish landscape and a wander along a hedgerow reveals a myriad of fascinating patterns and textures.

In the early 1980s I worked as a signwriter making painted glass panels and signs for pubs and shops. Patterns and plant motifs were commonly used and the work of William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement were a rich source of inspiration. 

I am paying homage to Morris by reflecting his skill in interweaving plant forms as he did in the tapestries he designed and the soft intertwining shapes in his wallpaper motifs. 

I was delighted to see his work at the Victoria and Albert Museum when I lived in London. Now we can create such designs on a computer, but then it took mathematical precision to make a successful design and Morris was a master of this.

Yanny Petters, Cultivated Ground, Verre Eglomisé, 44x17cm (private collection)

Common Poppy, Herb-Robert, Borage

Almost every part of the Irish landscape has been influenced by the activities of humans. Since ancient times we have cultivated the ground to grow crops and this has lead to distinct groups of plants which thrive on this habitat. 

Intensive farming eliminates these plants to the detriment of our pollinators.

I have chosen a few of my favourite plants which grow in my vegetable beds to represent this habitat. We describe them as weeds, but they are beautiful and are a rich source of food birds and pollinators.

My great grandfather was a silver smith and made jewellery and ware with Art Nouveau motifs so I was aware of the style from an early age.

When I worked as a signwriter in the 1980s  Art Nouveau was a frequent inspiration. Alphonse Mucha whose sensuous, swinging line and elongated forms fascinated me was a natural choice to reflect the plants of this habitat. 

In the background of this piece I have allowed Mucha’s design style to augment the elegance of the flowers.

Yanny Petters, Wetland, Verre Eglomisé, 42x30cm

Common Reed, Reedmace (bulrush)

Wetland plants are key in helping to absorb flood waters and are a vital shelter for birds and insects. I have chosen Reeds and Bulrushes to represent this habitat as they are so recognisable and familiar. 

In wandering through the tall swaying plants my eye is drawn to the shapes created between the tall stems and curving leaves.

These shapes evoked for me the work of Ireland’s first cubist artist, Mainie Jellet.

When I went to college we often went to the Hugh Lane gallery where I noticed her work. Her style brought to mind the work of members of The Blue Rider group in Germany, such as Franz Marc and August Macke, artists I was familiar with from home. 

In my painting I have used the negative shapes between the plants to suggest a misty landscape with a milky sun, simply inspired by Jellet’s abstract forms

Yanny Petters, Meadow, Verre Eglomisé, 44x32cm (private collection)

Dandelion, Greater plantain, Germander speedwell,  Daisy, Cock's-foot, Creeping bent, Smooth Meadow-grass, Hound's-tongue, Yarrow

Meadows are such an important habitat that we are encouraged to allow our garden lawns to go wild to help the declining pollinators. 

Childhood memories of bee loud fields remind us that this habitat has become rare.

Allowing the grass to grow in my own garden has revealed many plants which lay dormant from when the site was a field back in the 1800s. 

Included is my favourite plant, the Dandelion!

Albrecht Dürer’s ‘Das Grosse Rasen Stück’ is probably my favourite artwork. It is full of atmosphere and beautifully painted. The attention to detail of what many would consider mere weeds makes this a very special painting. 

I have painted a version of his piece, but where Dürer’s plants are resting, like predawn or dusk, I have rendered them all flowering as they might on a sunny day. Remarkably, all the plants in Dürer’s painting also grow in Ireland.

Yanny Petters, Heathland, Verre Eglomisé, 28x40cm

Burnet Rose, Bilberry, Bell Heather, Sheep’s-bit, Milkwort, Tormentil 

Heathland might look quite barren from a distance but on closer inspection these delightful flowers are a revelation. 

Heathland is under threat from over grazing by deer and sheep as well as drainage, so we need to appreciate the delicate plants which make up this unique habitat to preserve the diversity. Like bogs heath is an important environment to mitigate extreme weather events from climate change.

This painting encapsulates some of the plants which are common on heathland.

I have drawn on Harry Clarke's process of using translucent layers and jewel like colours focusing on berries and small flowers which evoke this habitat. 

I have loved Harry Clarke's stained glass and watercolour illustrations for as long as I can remember. 

In Bewleys Café in Grafton Street as a teenager I was drawn to the amazing windows with exotic plants, birds of paradise and butterflies, a veritable feast for the eyes. 

But the stained glass piece I visit as often as I can is the ‘Eve of St. Agnes’ with it’s rich deep colours, intricate designs and beautiful layering of flashed glass and delicate drawing. Clarke was a true genius.

Yanny Petters, Walls, Verre Eglomisé, 36x28cm

Ivy-leaved Toadflax, Biting Stonecrop, Navelwort, 

Rue-leaved Saxifrage, Rustyback Fern

Old walls might seem an unlikely habitat, but actually they support many important plants and creatures, including lizards. 

Plants eke out a living amongst the dry stones which warm up in the sun and the lime mortar makes this a very specialized habitat.

My parents gave me George Bain’s book of Celtic Knotwork in 1979. I was intrigued by the mathematical designs in the Book of Kells and other manuscripts. 

We often explored national monuments which included spirals and saw wonderful filigree on Celtic art at the National Museum.

I imagine the scribes working on their manuscripts in a stone cell, the little plants eking out a living in this sparce environment giving the scribe joy when he took a break from the meditative process of decorating a gospel. 

Yanny Petters, Sea Shore, Verre Eglomisé, 40x27cm (private collection)

Horned Poppy, Sea Campion

These two sea side plants represent a habitat which is greatly endangered through increasing storm activity due to climate change as well as leisure activities where the foreshore is trampled. 

I have seen horned poppy along the sea at Wicklow and the Campion is a plant I often admire along the west coast.

Trips to the Burren always meant carrying books such as ‘The Burren: Companion to the Wild Flowers of an Irish Limestone Wilderness’  illustrated by Wendy Walsh. 

I particularly admire Walsh’s delicate pencil and watercolour sketches. Horned Poppy and Sea Campion seemed to me to represent the habitat well and reflect Walsh’s style.

Her deep love of Irish wild plants is very clear in her work, so thank you Wendy for your inspiration.

Yanny Petters, Pond, Verre Eglomisé, 28x40cm

Yellow Flag Iris

Ponds make a habitat for many vital creatures such as frogs and dragon flies. In a nearby field there is a natural pond which I observe all through the year.

There is also a pond in our garden around which Yellow Flag Iris has established itself. Thankfully there are new government schemes encouraging farmers to create ponds which help to nurture vital fauna for the surrounding land.

My mother often brought me to the Chester Beattie Library. There we saw works by Hokusai, and we had reproductions of his prints in the house too. Hokusai’s block prints of Fukushima are well known but he also produced a whole series of prints of Irises.

This lead me to pairing Hokusai with my pond habitat painting. I have included a shield bug where Hokusai would depict a grass hopper as shield bugs are abundant in our garden. The background treatment in my piece reflects Hokusai’s colour graded backgrounds which evoke the mood of a pond very well.

Yanny Petters, Dunes, Verre Eglomisé, 31x21cm

Sea Bindweed

Dunes are extremely sensitive to climate change with rising sea levels and   powerful storms becoming more frequent. Many attempts to protect the shore have been undermined in recent years.

I have chosen two plants to represent this habitat which are very distinct in their nature. 

The little Sea Bindweed, with its twining stems and delicate trumpets is delightful. The Sea Holly (next image) is a very sculptural plant and it’s colouring is most beautiful. 

Mrs Mary Delaney whose wonderful paper mosaic flower pieces are familiar from the National Gallery of Ireland, produced botanically accurate flower portraits by cutting out shapes from coloured paper and mounting these on black card.

They are very distinctive, the dark background accentuating the flower’s delicacy and colour. So I have used my painting technique to interpret Mrs Delaney’s work to pay homage to a great lady who produced her beautiful works in her late 70s! 

Yanny Petters, Dunes, Verre Eglomisé, 31x21cm

Sea Holly

Dunes are extremely sensitive to climate change with rising sea levels and   powerful storms becoming more frequent. Many attempts to protect the shore have been undermined in recent years.

I have chosen two plants to represent this habitat which are very distinct in their nature. 

The Sea Holly is a very sculptural plant and it’s colouring is most beautiful. The little Sea Bindweed (previous image) with its twining stems and delicate trumpets is delightful.

Mrs Mary Delaney whose wonderful paper mosaic flower pieces are familiar from the National Gallery of Ireland, produced botanically accurate flower portraits by cutting out shapes from coloured paper and mounting these on black card.

They are very distinctive, the dark background accentuating the flower’s delicacy and colour. So I have used my painting technique to interpret Mrs Delaney’s work to pay homage to a great lady who produced her beautiful works in her late 70s! 

Yanny Petters, Native Woodland, Verre Eglomisé, 28x19cm

Knocksink Wood, Enniskerry. 

Foxglove, Lesser Celandine, Bluebell, Wood Anemone, Common Fern, Wild Garlic, Primrose, Lords & Ladies, Nettle,  Wood Sorrel, Cow Wheat

Knocksink Wood is a Special Area of Conservation just across the fields from where I live. 

Since childhood I’ve spent many happy hours there. It is particularly important for its alluvial forest and the Tuffa springs which form it’s rare environment. 

In celebrating the more common plants there I want to raise awareness of how endangered this habitat is due to increased pressure to develop nearby lands for housing which will irreparably change the ground water chemistry. 

My mother often brought me to the Chester Beattie Library. I was fascinated by the beautiful little manuscripts displayed there. Particularly those by the Mogul Emperors artists which included delightfully painted flowers and trees in gilded borders. 

Each plant is so lovingly rendered, so I donned my magnifier and have tried to pay homage to the artists who created these little gems! My painting represents the beautiful oak tree many will have seen in Knocksink, surrounded by the flowers which are abundant there through the year.