Janette Cervin creates large-scale paintings that offer an invitation to an immersive antipodean paradise teeming with exquisitely detailed New Zealand flora and fauna. Vibrant hues bring plumage and petals to the forefront, creating a whimsical dance of detail and colour. An immersive illusion of depth is created through the combination of traditional painting conventions and applications of thick layers of glossy resin.

Cervin’s relationship with the natural environment, and flora in particular, is historical and ever lasting. Growing up in the family nursery business provided a childhood surrounded by beautiful blooms and the opportunity to quietly observe the wildlife they attract, along with a deeply ingrained understanding of our ecosystem’s vulnerability. Her practice is a response to those experiences, presenting works that speak to the wonderment of beauty while encouraging the viewer to acknowledge the endangerment our natural environment faces in the modern age.

Cervin studied Visual Communication, Bachelor of Design; Major in painting, and Masters of Design; Flowers in a contemporary painting practice (2013).

“These paintings celebrate the vitality and beauty of our clean green New Zealand landscape, whilst also drawing attention to the fragility and transience of such beauty in our contemporary world. I walk through our garden on the edge of the bush, and all I see are endless paintings. I hope by capturing the bush I can help others to preserve it.”
– Janette Cervin