Still Life with Orchid III, Orchid
This rare orchid, known as the ‘harlequin dancing-lady orchid’, is only found in the Caribbean. Its intricate white curving petals and array of speckled colours burst towards its centre in a stunning overlap of yellow and orange. While some species of orchid grow in the soil, many of the tropical orchids found in Cayman are air plants that depend on other plants for stabilisation and growth. The nature of orchids, including this variety, is to attach themselves to other plants or to the bark of trees – their thick roots wrapping to absorb water and nutrients, which the artists have successfully captured here almost as an adornment to the tree. The orchid is a treasured and valued plant across the Cayman Islands and holds important personal and familial importance for many.
About the Artist
Bill Ferehawk and David Hartwell
Known as Collective Artist Collective, Ferehawk and Hartwell live and work in Los Angeles as commercial artists in the film industry. Together they have created numerous works and installations as an ongoing investigation into the ways places and histories are marked and remembered. This series of photographs was taken in 2019 at the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park when the pair were Artists-in-Residence at the National Gallery.