This Nature Art Class Changed My Perspective Of The Outdoors – And It’s Going International

Erin was recently so inspired by a wildlife-focused art class she took with NatureArt Lab, that she reached out to Founding Director Julia Landford to learn more about the mission behind the business, and where it’s going next.

During my time living in Sydney, my idea of ‘connecting with nature’ has always meant getting out of the city. Whether it’s escaping for a weekend away in the Blue Mountains, taking the train to a national park, or seeking out a tiny home in the middle of nowhere, it’s always been very important to remove myself from the high-rise buildings and rush of traffic.

Real nature is found somewhere you can completely immerse yourself in the trees, wildlife, and extraordinary views, right? It’s found outside of cities.

So when Mum booked us into a Canberra NatureArt Lab class that was focused on drawing ‘pods and seeds’ with pen and ink, I was sceptical that it would help me ‘connect to nature’.

NatureArt Lab is a science, art, and illustration organisation that runs classes with a focus on natural subjects. In theory, this was right up my alley. But exactly how interesting could a few tree droppings be?

For some context, I’ve taken a lot of art classes in my time. From oil painting to life drawing, I like to try new mediums and techniques to challenge myself.

But I must admit that I’ve always felt most comfortable when the subject matter has been quite involved (for instance, drawing a face, or painting a full mountain landscape). So, looking closely at some fallen debris seemed, well… different. That, and we were still in the city. How connected could we feel listening to traffic pass by outside?

It Taught Me to ‘See’ Nature Differently

We were welcomed into the classroom and shown how to set up our stations. Our teacher, Jessica Riese, asked us to select a couple of pods and seeds from the collection, being careful not to break them. I quickly found a large Moreton Bay Chestnut pod which intrigued me, and some smaller gumnuts.

The seedy subject for the class

The first thing I observed was that there wasn’t much colour to play with. I saw browns, greys, and maybe yellows if I was being really creative. But I couldn’t quite imagine how we were going to create something exciting.

Jess took us through the basic colour palette we’d be working with, using blue, yellow, and pink inks to create greens, purples, and oranges. I thought this could all be a waste of time — shouldn’t we just skip to creating different shades of brown?

One of the first exercises Jess got us to do was to look at our subject for a minute, memorise as much as we could, and then draw it. Inevitably your brain plays tricks on you and remembers some details larger than others and omits other details.

Already I was starting to notice the different shapes and shadows in the pods, where the chestnuts would have sat within their casing.

Interestingly, Jess also challenged us to play around with colours that might feel uncomfortable to us. It yielded some interesting results, and I started to notice new shades in the lights and shadows of my pod. This was something Jess was particularly skilled at in her work!

The best part about the pen and ink technique – I came to learn – was that the beautiful combination of the two mediums meant that drawing in pen could sometimes salvage the mess made out of splodges of ink.

This was very unlike watercolour, which I find extremely unforgiving.

The Lowdown

Overall, by the end of the class, I felt that my way of seeing the subjects we’d chosen had completely changed. I was genuinely shocked by how fascinating the different pods and seeds could be by looking in such minute detail, framing them on the page in a way that made the most sense, experimenting with hatching, and introducing new colours to showcase their beauty.

My pods and seeds masterpiece!

Later, as I walked around my suburb in Sydney I noticed some beautiful bright red flowers and gumnuts, and realised that they’d make an excellent subject. My mind drifted and I wondered what was in my own backyard or local park that might be interesting to notice on my daily walk or paint if I was brave enough.

I realised that we’re actually surrounded by nature in the city, and that with the right attitude and mindfulness, we can find peace in the simplest of surroundings. And that’s a lesson worth preserving, and sharing.

My Mum’s nature journalling efforts

Who started NatureArt Lab?

My experience in the class intrigued me to learn more about NatureArt Lab and its mission to inspire an appreciation of nature, so I reached out and spoke to Founding Director Julia Landford.

NatureArt Lab Founding Director Julia Landford

Julia grew up in Papua New Guinea, where she developed a deep love of nature from her time outdoors climbing trees, catching butterflies, and drawing snakes. Later, she moved to Australia and had a successful career in international development, but she quickly realised that there weren’t many networks in Australia to connect those who had a shared interest in nature and art.

NatureArt Lab Blooms

So, in 2017 she started NatureArt Lab. She began working with tutors, setting up social media pages, and finding a studio space to manage, building up the business from scratch. Over the past seven years, the team has grown from just seven tutors in Canberra to over 30 tutors across Canberra and Brisbane. Many of the tutors have a background in both science and art and there are plans to continue to grow across Australia.

Purposeful Connections Help Growth

The business has already been well recognised, winning the Telstra Best of Business Awards categories for Sustainability (2022) and Building Communities (2024) in the ACT. Just recently, they launched their new partnership with the Queensland Museum in order to reach new audiences. The partnership involves delivering After Dark events, and hosting classes and workshops at the museum.

‘We’ve come out the other side [of COVID-19] with significant achievements and ongoing contributions,’ Julia says. ‘That includes our very exciting new partnership with the Queensland Museum, which is a wonderful way to connect with an audience that values and appreciates natural history and the way that art can help people connect in a different way.’

Julia has been heavily involved in conservation work, including her role for the last five years with the Australian Association for Environmental Education, contributing to environmental sustainability education policy, and helping teachers across Australia to engage with art and creative practices.

She also partners with the ANU on their National Youth Science Forum by running creative drawing programs that bring art and science together for students. She’s particularly passionate about conservation efforts to protect threatened species including the Golden Sun moth and Grey-headed flying foxes.

Spreading Appreciation of Nature

Ultimately, the purpose of NatureArt Lab is about helping people to see and appreciate nature differently, and one of the ways that Julia encourages people to start doing that is through nature journaling.

‘Nature journaling is one of the most important things I think that anyone can do because it’s something that’s not about developing a perfect art piece. It’s about using all of your senses to understand the natural surroundings better,’ Julia says.

Nature journaling in Canberra

NatureArt Lab Goes International

For those interested in venturing further afield, NatureArt Lab also offers international tours, which take artists and photographers to different parts of the world to discover unique biodiversity.

One of Julia’s favourite tours follows Charles Darwin’s journeys during his early research of evolution through the Galapagos Islands, as well as the Amazon Rainforest areas in Ecuador and Peru. She also has a special place in her heart for Borneo, which is closer to Australia, and one of the most biodiverse places in the world.

Boating on the Rio Estrella in Costa Rica

NatureArt Lab students have gone on to develop their own art practices, continue nature journaling, and even write a book about their experience of the classes, in the case of student – and now tutor – Fiona Boxall. But as far as Julia is concerned, as long as people walk away from the classes seeing nature differently, that’s her job done.

‘Most of the people who come along to our classes describe the experience as life-changing because it changes the way that they see nature,’ Julia says.

Upcoming NatureArt Lab Classes and Tours

NatureArt Lab offers in-person classes in Canberra and Brisbane, online classes, and international nature tours.

Upcoming classes include:

• 13th – 27th March 2024, Create a Watercolour Sketching Journal with Fiona Boxall
• 17tg March 2024, Fungi – Drawing in Ink (online) with Anna Voytsekhovich
• 20th June – 6th July 2024, Costa Rica Ultimate Nature Tour
• 5th – 17th August 2024, Birds of Borneo Nature Tour

Interested in learning more about NatureArt Lab? Visit their website for a full list of upcoming classes and more information.