Hayleigh • 15 • Leitrim
12-15 Category • 2026I found the inspiration for this piece when I was in the botanic gardens in Belfast. They had busts placed throughout the greenhouse and I found the dichotomy of man made and natural beauty alongside each other to be alluring. I chose to paint this scene as it displayed how we, as people, can emphasise the nature around us with our creations rather than destroying and replacing it to serve our interests. I started off by using a neon pink acrylic underpainting as I found it added vibrancy to the green leaves. I followed this by outlining the sketch in coloured pencil. I used oils atop of the acrylic and allowed slivers of the neon pink to seep through in places to add depth and a painterly element to the piece.
