ORGANIC FORMATIONS

LEILA ROSE WILLIS & MIAO YANG

 
 
 

Leila Rose Willis grew up in France, surrounded by nature and a wide range of cultural influences. As a child, she enjoyed drawing, and naturally decided to study Fine Arts as an adult. After six years of study, she began to explore Reiki healing and meditation, before finding her way back to drawing with a renewed appreciation for her craft. “The immediacy and simplicity of drawing drew me back, and I’ve been focusing on it more and more these last three years,” she explains, “I particularly love Hokusai and Hiroshige illustrations because of how they instil fluidity through pencil, catching the essence of things with a minimum of line.”

Vitalism series

 
 
 

Vitalism series

 

Her work uses form to evoke the organic. Each of her illustrations are foregrounded by shapes reminiscent of rare plants or esoteric symbols, while the washed blue of her backgrounds call upon more aquatic associations. “I am interested in nature’s creativity,” she told Cluster, “particularly in its marine manifestation. I feel very close to the water and I’m attracted by different types of invisible worlds.” The idea of invisibility is summoned by her depictions of the unidentifiable; while the specifics of each form remains unknown, they nonetheless transmit something knowable; a metaphor, perhaps, for the ocean, or even consciousness itself. “I meditate and listen to inner sensations, trusting the flow of my pencil and brush,” she added, “this created a mix of old and futuristic patterns that link the organic with a kind of spiritual energy.”

 
 
 

Her signature « Vitalism » series is painted on up-cycled wood. Leila experiments with paper cut-ups inspired by her studies of plankton, composing them in space before painting them with white acrylics. When it comes to manifesting each form, she does so intuitively, “I put my analytic mind to the side and open myself to free gestures. I transfer what I like and paint the colour called by the general shape.” Through Cluster, Leila hopes to share work, ideas and connect with others in a creative, multicultural environment. Right now, she is working on developing her Vitalism series.

Vitalism series

 

Vitalism series

Vitalism series

 

Vitalism series

 
 
 

Shadow of Plum Blossom 2 | BUY THIS FROM OUR ONLINE SHOP

 

Similarly, Miao Yang spent her childhood painting, which laid the foundation for her studies in later life, though when it came to choosing a course, it was jewellery that attracted her, “in my mind, painting and jewellery are an echo of each other” she explained. She came away from Glasgow School of Art not just with a BA in Silversmithing and Jewellery Design, but with a robust understanding of ‘craft’. For Miao, craft is infinite in the forms it takes, “it can carry different cultures and more so - attitudes toward life,” she told us. Her interdisciplinary approach to illustration allows her a state of freedom from which to reconsider new ways of working.

 
 
 

At first glance, Miao’s illustrations seem cloud-like, puffy, orbs that hover on the page, but upon closer inspection, their textures and incritricies reveal something much closer to earth. Fine lines recall tree bark and concentric circles that hint at the object behind the abstraction. “The shapes come from the shadows of the plum blossom,” she explains, “because they flower in the cold season, they represent perseverance and staying strong under difficult circumstances.” For Miao, the plum blossom holds both personal and universal importance, as a traditional symbol that speaks to her Chinese heritage, but also as a marker of resilience in the face of a global pandemic.

Shadow of Plum Blossom 3 | BUY THIS FROM OUR ONLINE SHOP

 

Shadow of Plum Blossom 1

 
 
 

Plum shadow mountains

 

Miao begins each piece by observing the shadows of plum blossoms, noticing, for example, the variation in depth, “Dark grey or light grey, its monochromatic colour enriches my imagination, urging me to add detail to its form,” she told us. After experimenting with various methods from pencil, needle pen, marker and Chinese painting tools, watercolour became her favourite mode of expression for its billowing quality that seems to mimic shadows themselves. Over the last few months, Maio has participated in multiple Cluster events from exhibitions and seminars to workshops, “I appreciate Cluster’s platform as a tool to connect creative forces,” she added.

 

Shadow of Plum Blossom 4

 

Shadow of Plum Blossom 6 | BUY THIS FROM OUR ONLINE SHOP

 

Both Leila and Miao handle organic form in a distinctly spiritual way. Like all of nature’s great mysteries, they occupy a paradox, arriving at clarity by way of abstraction. In Leila’s cosmic compositions, or deep within Maio’s billowing shadows, a strong residual energy emanates; the formless transmitted through form itself.

 
 

Work by both Leila Rose and Miao Yang can be viewed on the Cluster Illustration platform
and purchased through the Cluster Illustration Online Shop.

Thank you for reading,
Stephanie Gavan & Cluster Team.