Blossom is a painting of the Shaw’s Agave found in the Sonoran Dessert.
The Shaw’s Agave gathers all resources it had built up throughout its life, leading to a final burst, a blossom, leading to new life.
Like the Shaw’s Agave, as we grow, we blossom slowly as we age into adulthood and prioritize the continuation of our own species. While a human’s life continues far past procreation, my reason for choosing this subject as a painting is the contemplative value of thinking about our own lives relative to that of different forms of life, such as plants.
A. R. Turner is a London-based artist whose work exploresthe beauty, fragility, and energy of the natural world. Drawing inspirationfrom landscapes, wildlife, and plant life, Turner translates direct encounterswith nature into richly textured, surreal oil paintings. His practice combinespainting with photography, architectural drafting, and 3D modelling, creatinglayered works that capture the transient play of light, movement, and life inthe natural environment.
Turner’s painting style is balanced between density anddelicacy, allowing textures and layers to convey the energy and presence of hissubjects. Inspired by nature, he develops themes of resilience, regeneration,and the interconnectedness of living systems, inviting audiences to reflect onthe importance of sustainability. In addition to these core concerns, Turneralso expands into themes of post-conflict regeneration and the synergiescreated across multiple compositions, while delving into the depths of hissubconscious and addressing global environmental challenges.
