Latest news with #floraandfauna
BBC News
2 days ago
- General
- BBC News
New flora and fauna at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
A variety of flora and fauna are thriving in east London's Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, where more species of bee, bird, wasp and lichen have been the 2012 Olympic Games, the Stratford site was mostly industrial wasteland with contaminated soil, polluted waterways and extensive fly-tipped latest discoveries were made in a recent "bio-blitz", an intensive biological survey with experts from the London Natural History Society, UCL and Hackney Tom Bellamy said: "I have been really surprised at the biodiversity that's been achieved here in such a short time – especially considering how polluted a lot of the ground here was before the London 2012 Games." The survey identified three species of bee now in the park: the coastal leafcutter, sickle-jawed blood bee and the large sharp-tailed bee. It also recorded a species of hyper-parasitic wasp and a species of cuckoo wasp, 23 species of butterfly, 42 bird species, as well as 23 species of eels, kestrels, house martins, sand martins, the nationally scarce black mining bee and large scabious mining bee, and the soft-winged flower beetle - a threatened species across Europe - were all found in East Village, the site of the Athletes' Village during the 2012 Games. Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park ecologist Mr Bellamy said: "We have kingfishers, otters, eels and it's incredible that nationally scarce species of bees have been found here."Part of my job is to establish breeding populations for a wide variety of select species that we want to breed on the park. "I'm proud of what's been achieved so far but there is always more we can do."
Forbes
5 days ago
- General
- Forbes
This New Zealand Artist Sculpts Animals From Layers Of Paint
Hannah Jensen Fox, Unbroken - Camargue Horses, 2018, 51 layers (24 liters) of carved acrylic paint, 2600 x 1800 mm Hannah Jensen Fox has carved a niche for herself – literally – by transforming layers of acrylic paint into breathtaking works of art. Drawing from her background in printmaking, she applies up to 80 layers of paint onto custom-made boards and canvases, then meticulously carves through them to reveal intricate images inspired by flora and fauna. This unique technique, developed during her time at Auckland University of Technology, results in textured, topographical pieces that celebrate the beauty of the natural world. From life-size animal portraits to delicate botanical studies, her work captures the essence of wildlife with remarkable depth and detail, as she pushes the boundaries of her medium. She shares the intricacies of her work process. What are the greatest challenges you face when creating your artworks? Self-doubt. I may be a positive person who is often viewed with endless energy, but I too have times when it all feels too much and I'm overloaded with work, trying to be the one-woman band running a business and keeping up with life. Allowing myself to be honest with my clients about what is going on and asking for more time, if needed, is the best way I can manage my workload. I am human after all. Hannah Jensen Fox, Kowhai, 2020, 43 layers of carved acrylic paint, 200-mm diameter board How many projects you work on at any one time and how many artworks do you make per year? Over three years, I can do a total of 200 commissioned works for clients all around the world. I also take a break from commissioned work to concentrate on my own works. It is an ebb and flow of concentrating on my own ideas and then opening up for commissioned works. When I am open for commissions, there is often an influx so I ride that wave. But while I finish the last few commissions, I am layering up the next boards for my ideas to follow. When did you move to Christchurch, why do you choose to live and work there, and what have you been able to achieve there that you wouldn't have been able to anywhere else? I moved to Christchurch in November 2018. I moved to be with the love of my life. My divine soulmate was born and bred in Christchurch, and I joined him there to adventure the beautiful South Island of New Zealand, after spending the previous 32 years in the North Island. It's a bit cooler down here, but mainly it's a quieter life that I surely prefer from the busy city of Auckland. Hannah Jensen Fox, Adaptation - Polar Bear, 2018, 43 layers (12 liters) of carved acrylic paint, 1900 x 1400 mm board What was a memorable project you worked on? One of my passion projects were two huge carvings: one of a rhino carved with blue-and-white china patterns, bringing into conversation the heartbreaking trade of rhino horn to China, and a whale work carved of flowers, a memorial to our dying oceans. 62 liters of paint were layered for these two works. The rhino is 3.3 meters long with 28 liters of paint layered and the whale is 3.6 meters long with 34 liters of paint layered. They are both made up of smaller panels so I could easily handle each piece, and then they are hung altogether. What do you feel is the role of the artist in society? To bring joy, to share stories, to challenge, stretch and push boundaries. A visual voice of history unfolding. What do you hope to achieve or what message do you hope to convey through your art at the end of the day? Mostly I want to bring a sense of joy through my work and how I share it. Sometimes my works have a sad story to go with them. I can only hope they spark some inspiration for the viewer to make changes in their day-to-day lives for more sustainable and healthier choices.
BBC News
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Artists to document rewilding project
A group of artists are visiting a heathland rewilding site to capture its changing flora, fauna and artists from The Society of Wildlife Artists (SWLA) will spend time this year at The Massingham Heath Project in west of the land at the 2,500-acre site (1,000 hectares) is being re-wilded to benefit nature, while half is used for conventional agriculture. An exhibition and book documenting how the landscape changes throughout the seasons are being produced. Land owner Oliver Birkbeck said: "They're looking at the health as well as the agricultural landscape, the farm-scape because it is all part of the same story." He described the artists as "rock stars" and said he was so proud for them to visit the site - which is east of King's Lynn and Sandringham."The job of the natural world is to in some way elevate us from the boring imperatives of our daily lives. That's also the job of the artist. So this is a marriage of the two which I think is a really beautiful thing," he added. Melanie Mascarenhas has a background in science and worked for many years in the NHS before joining the said: "It's a huge privilege to be here, not just on the heath, which is magnificent , but to be with artists you admire. "I've been mostly focusing on beetles and it's taken me back to the start of my wildlife drawing journey where I would always focus on invertebrates." Artist Darren Woodhead praised the light and the way it was falling on the plants and birds. "You feel like you are going back 100 years in this landscape," he said. "I've not seen hedgerows like this, big wide hedgerows, big avenues next to them, amazing corridors for wildlife." The project will culminate in a book to be published in autumn 2026, with text from author, naturalist and Norfolk Wildlife Trust ambassador Nick Acheson. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
