Teemed with luscious vegetation and infused with a whimsical quality that contemporary art star Daisy Dodd-Noble’s works are best known for, Trees is Deia inhabits an idyllic landscape where reality and the imagined coexist. Meticulously composed with a densely layered forest stretched against a glorious sunset rendered in pastel shades of pink, orange, yellow and violet, the present work was painted from sketches during the artist’s residency in Mallorca with L21 Gallery in 2021. Additionally, it was featured in the group exhibition, Desire and Anxiety, held at G/ART/EN Gallery in 2021.
Despite Dodd-Noble’s works being devoid of any individual characters, the artist encourages viewers to consider the resiliency of nature as well as the inextricable relationship that humans and the natural world both share. Her soft muted brushstrokes evoke an ethereal landscape scene that seems at once familiar yet otherworldly, inviting the audience into step into a world where innocence prevails.
Departing from her previous hyper-surrealistic approach to painting, as observed throughout the artist’s earlier body of works, Trees in Deia is a more mature and highly-refined example of Dodd-Noble’s artistic practice. This work presents a noticeable shift from the way in which she appropriates certain trees as caricatures to a more informed understanding of the native and non-native species during her encounters, further addressing the pressing issues of climate change. When previously asked about the larger ideas and themes that permeate and inspire her work, the artist recalls, ‘consciousness I suppose, or our connection with nature. Our need to be in nature… And that feeling of loss as we exploit the natural world.’ i
Having received her MFA from the New York Academy of Arts in 2016, Daisy Dodd-Noble is currently based in London. In 2022, the artist has been the subject of solo shows hosted by Roman Road Gallery in London, L21 Barcelona, and L21 Gallery in Palma de Mallorca.
