Orange Blossom
This piece comes at a time when the world feels heavy and dark. Making it has helped me to process my feelings and to strive to hold onto a sense of hope. I wanted the mix of materials and textures to reflect the contrast between bleakness and optimism. The work is a response to this beautiful poem by Brian Patten:
The Stolen Orange
‘When I left I stole an orange
I kept it in my pocket
It felt like a warm planet
Everywhere I went smelt of oranges
Whenever I got into an awkward situation
I’d take out the orange and smell it
And immediately on even dead branches I saw
The lovely and fierce orange blossom
That smells so much of joy
When I went out I stole an orange
It was a safeguard against imagining
There was nothing bright or special in the world’
Brian Patten
Year: 2025
Materials: Electro formed paper (copper), copper sheets, liver of sulfur patination, renaissance wax and gloss varnish.
Dimensions: 40cm x 40cm x 40cm
Process: Lisa created this work using a combination of techniques. Firstly creating lots of paper elements and then electroplating them with copper in the studio, these elements were then added to a copper structure along with other hand cut and formed elements made from copper sheets. Once created most of the elements were exposed to liver of sulfur in order to blacken the surfaces, these were then treated with renaissance wax. Meanwhile Lisa polished the central raw copper elements and sealed them with gloss varnish.