Exploring Conservation through Art 

By Louise Senior, Species on the Edge People Engagement Officer for the North Coast, Plantlife 

Here at Species on the Edge, we are facilitating opportunities for people to connect with nature through various avenues – one of these is art. We have been running nature-based art projects and workshops up and down the country, including creative writing, willow-weaving, embroidery and more, working with local artists to help people engage with, appreciate, and experience nature in new ways and generate conversations on our natural world. On the North Coast, People Enagement Officer Louise has been working with artist, Lisa Gardner, to run a series of ‘Watercolour Wellness Workshops’. Hear about her experience of these workshops and her reflections on how art can help us connect with nature and each other.  

Joining forces with Plantlife’s artist in residence, Lisa Gardner, to explore the relationships between art and nature was a memorable and fruitful experience for me.  

I recognise that the scale of the environmental challenges we are grappling with can leave many of us feeling drained and despairing, but art can inspire compassion and hope in a way that few other things can. A striking piece of visual imagery can have a more profound impact than a talk or a factsheet because it can create an immediate and visceral emotional resonance. I was keen to discover how employing creative methods as a tool for conservation might allow me to reach new audiences, increase awareness and understanding of the work that Species on the Edge is doing, and open avenues for dialogue within communities. Lisa Gardner’s visit to document the north coast Important Plant Area provided an ideal opportunity to test this approach.  

Lisa collaborated with us to tailor her signature ‘Watercolour Wellbeing Workshops’ around the wildlife we are working with on the north coast: small blue butterfly, great yellow bumblebee, Scottish primrose, purple oxytropis, and oysterplant. Because these species are relatively rare and require a degree of fitness to be able to observe in their natural habitats, many of the people living in the communities where we are working may never encounter them. Lisa’s creative methods, I anticipated, might provide an opportunity for people to interact with some of our most threatened species in a way that inspires curiosity, hope, and empathy.  

We ran the workshops in Durness, Skerray, and Castletown. Lisa’s skill in fostering a nurturing environment where playful experimentation is encouraged generated the perfect conditions for germinating questions and reflections on conservation.  

As people became immersed in their work, I observed how their attention was drawn to minute details of the insects and flowers they were painting: the arc of a petal, the intricate pattern on an antenna, the direction and colours of individual hairs. Discussions spontaneously emerged exploring the differences and similarities between these species and more common ones. Noticing these differences – the characteristics that make our priority species visually unique – drew participants’ interest towards the species’ other special features, leading to questions about their life cycles, the threats facing them, and the work being done to protect them. 

I am convinced that each person who took part in this series of workshops would confidently be able to identify our species were they to encounter them in the field. I am also struck by how this space, created for independent, participant-led dialogue, resulted in precisely the kind of conversations that we, as conservation staff, are keen to initiate. However, rather than setting up the typical expert/novice dichotomy of a talk, a guided walk, or other information-giving session, this more participatory model blurred the lines of authority, allowing everyone in the group to learn informally through their interactions with each other. The feedback we received from participants reflects these notions:  

“It makes me view [the species] as beautiful creatures that need us to help them thrive and survive like they used to, as opposed to just being pests like most city folk think (including myself back in the day!).” 

“The workshop made me feel as though I could do more. Inspired. I enjoyed the relaxed pace of the workshop, yet somehow managed to get lots of knowledge over.  I am more mindful of the species’ shape and colour.” 
 
“It was delivered in a very relaxing way allowing for some experimental dabbling with paints. It was full marks for relaxation. It also targeted a different group of people introducing them to the species we were focusing on and demonstrating a new way of looking at nature.” 

Lisa’s own reflections on the workshops provide further insight into the way that art and conservation meld together, with nature inspiring art and creative practices facilitating the space required to address difficult topics:  

Our experience on the north coast demonstrates some of the myriad benefits of exploring the relationships between arts and nature, even in a one-off session. I am looking forward to developing new collaborations to see how creative methods can be built into conservation practices over a longer time span. Environmental challenges require creative solutions, so it makes sense to work with arts practitioners who are experts in creative ways of knowing and engaging with the world. They can help us to connect with and genuinely hear the voices of a more diverse audience, which is essential for ensuring a truly collaborative and equitable approach to conservation. 

You can learn more about Lisa’s work on her website. You can also find her on Instagram: @irishill. Lisa works under her Nan’s name Iris Hill as a tribute to her.