Melissa Yates - on refuge in Nature

Melissa Yates

What can our sensory experiences tell us about the nature of Nature? What can we learn from the living world in this digital age? These are questions that are currently driving my creative practice. 

 Last year I lost my beloved father following his battle with Alzheimer’s disease, which initiated a period of solitude and reflection. I sought refuge in Nature and through my inner stillness and receptivity, I recognised with greater clarity how the living world holds valuable lessons to support us through the changing seasons of our lives. Nature teaches the necessity of patience & vulnerability, how to embrace inevitable cycles of loss & arrival, and be open to the mystery that holds all life.

 I’m inspired by the poetry of David Whyte, along with other individuals who share a belief that Nature is living, evolving and ensouled, rather than an inert resource to be merely observed and utilised. In our increasingly technology dominated culture, I think it is important to consider what makes us human, and remember that we are part of biological life. 

 Questions I ask myself: how am I choosing to attend to the life in and around me today? What is the quality of my attention? It is in this spirit that I create drawings: fully attending to the living world and responding through careful and mindful action as pencil meets paper. My hope is that a sense of this may be experienced by viewers of the work. 

 I find joy and interest in observing how the small details relate to the overall forms, and considering the value of what can be easily overlooked. For me, Nature is a source of endless beauty, meaning and inspiration.