Up in Smoke

Cass Brown

The work I am most passionate about has been an attempt to preserve nature in the face of rapidly devolving climate change. 

Up in Smoke depicts a rare Caladenia gladiolata, or Bayonet Spider-Orchid. They are native to South Australia and survive in only four small populations. Classified as endangered, they are threatened by animals that consider them a food source and by weed invasion. But the recent bush fires in Australia have added an additional, and more devastating, threat. The intention of Up in Smoke is to highlight and preserve these beautiful and incredibly unique flowers that could be lost to us forever if the effects of climate change continue to go unchecked. Up in Smoke is a juxtaposition of traditional watercolor techniques and modern compositions. The close-cropped perspective forces the viewer to narrow in on the individual plant’s magnificent features. Details like these are lost not only in the fire, but in the broader climate crisis debate. The bloom was created by carefully layering hundreds of transparent washes, whereas in the background the watercolor was allowed to bleed and run naturally to capture the chaos of the smoke and fires. Final details were added with water-soluble colored pencils to allow for extreme precision and to capture the texture of the petals.

Cass Greybeal Brown graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) in 2017 with a BFA in Illustration and a minor in Scientific Illustration. Her art has been included in two coloring books currently available to purchase in some independent bookstores and on Amazon. She currently works remotely at Northern Virginia Graphics (NVG), and is currently based in Evans Mills, NY. Her location will most assuredly change in the next 6-9 months - her husband is in the army.