Chelsea Baker

My primary motivation behind Hello Chelsart is to celebrate  the human connection with nature by showcasing natures  own designs in conjunction with my artworks. I aim to uncover  the unseen and disregarded treasures in nature that are often  overlooked in daily life. My work serves to advocate that there  is hidden beauty in nature that can come from unusual and  forgotten places. Mindfulness found at my feet, I often refer to. 

My 'canvas' is nature's by-product. My seedpods are by  design the discarded husks that protect the seeds inside, and  due to this, I am free to experiment and paint without wasting  materials. If an artwork doesn't work out (and this often  happens when working with uneven and rough objects), I just  discard it into the garden, or green waste bin and let it break  down. Thereby, reducing my impact on the environment as  art can often impact upon. 

Over nine years, I studied a Bachelor of Multimedia, a  Bachelor of Environmental Design and finally, my Masters of  Architecture on the Gold Coast. During my studies, I was  fortunate enough to learn about Biomimicry and experiment  with the concept in my assignments. (Biomimicry being the  principles of nature-inspired principles incorporated into the  design).  

While completing a particular assignment in Architecture, as a  way to relax from the grueling hours of projects, I would often  take a break and go to the beach and collect driftwood  sticks, shells, banksia pods etc. and bring them home and sort  them into boxes and study their shapes. I incorporated their  forms into a design for an architectural building. Studying  design in its many different media and forms developed a  meaningful and lasting relationship which I continue to  experiment with today.