The art of vegetables

How one young artist took inspirational from her Riverford veg box to create a watercolour series based on food sustainability.

When Alice Robinson-Carter was tasked with a project on sustainability for her degree in illustration, at the University of Plymouth, she turned to food for inspiration.

“I have always had a love of food and cooking, along with an awareness of our environmental footprint. This project was the perfect way of using my illustrative practice to communicate this passion,” says the 22-year-old artist, who produced a series of watercolour paintings based on vegetables from Riverford’s organic seasonal veg boxes.

“Firstly, using a cross-section of the fruit or vegetable, I paint onto them directly with a carefully selected watercolour pallet, which sensitively reflects the natural colours,” she explains.

Bramley apple

“This is then pressed onto recycled paper enabling the natural shapes and patterns to be preserved and given a space to be celebrated. The reveal moment when I remove the object from the paper is always a wonderful surprise. To complete the image, I paint the leaf sections from my own interpretation and expression of the plant.”

Robinson-Carter says her work aims to draw attention to the raw ingredients of the food we eat, and the individuality of each fruit and vegetable.

 Alice Robinson-Carter is 22 and lives in the Tamar Valley area of Cornwall. She is in her second year of study on the BA Illustration at the University of Plymouth. Her artwork has been exhibited in the Royal Academy of Arts, London and Plymouth Museum and Art Gallery.

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