Toowoomba artist Chelsea Baker coins new contemporary art form
A Toowoomba artist is revolutionising the art scene by creating a unique medium with deep roots in nature, rebirth, and nostalgia.
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Toowoomba artist Chelsea Baker is revolutionising the art scene through her work with Australian flora, selective bursts of vivid paint, and patterns inspired by core memories which are entrenched in emotion.
The botanical seedpod artist said people and artists generally focused on conventionally beautiful forms that were living, like flowers and trees, however she was drawn to dry, brown, and often discarded seedpods.
Mrs Baker has been collecting seedpods and other natural elements since she was a child, however she stumbled into the new medium in 2019, when she found herself with a newborn during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“In those quiet moments you have to yourself, some sleep or read a book, but I just began painting my seedpods,” she said.
The mother of two, aged four and three, said she’s always had a deep connection with nature and had collected natural objects as a child, but found herself drawn to the seedpods after giving birth to her first born.
“I just felt like an empty shell, that I had served my reproductive purpose, and in a sense was worthless,” she said.
The contemporary artist, who planned a future in architecture after completing her master’s, said painting the seedpods breathed new life into the form and represented new beginnings.
The 34-year-old’s first solo exhibition The Secret Life of Seedpods opened at The Lighthouse on Margaret St, on Thursday, August 31.
The one of a kind seedpods will be on display, alongside limited edition and open-edition prints of the pods.
There is also a workshop station for children to make seedpod crowns and a colouring-in competition, where the winning art wins an A4-print of their choice.
Mrs Baker said she was excited to share her art with the community, however it was tough for her to part with the pods which are all linked to nastic and personal memories from her entire life.
“It’s like I’m giving away pieces of myself,” she said.
“But it’s extraordinary to be able to connect with people, a lot of people have their own connection and story with seedpods.”
A Lighthouse spokeswoman said the exhibition was made possible through a Toowoomba Regional Council Cultural Arts Support Grant, and welcomed the community to visit the gallery before the exhibition ended on September 30.
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