Echinacea

This series of six works began to emerge in 2017. Initially started as an intentional response to taking her practice further, it wouldn’t be until September 2021 that Jarnie’s paintings would be seen. By then, their meaning and narrative would come to symbolise so much more.

The COVID pandemic lockdowns of 2020 halted all art exhibitions. The Echinaceas were ready, but that year, the Royal Horticultural Society’s annual Botanical Art and Photography Show didn’t take place. It had been an all or nothing gamble. In 2019 when the exhibition did take place, Jarnie had to pull out due to a sudden family crisis. This placed a new meaning to the works. They were more than just a response, they had become a symbol of hope and resistance.

Finally in 2021 Jarnie’s series of six works titled, ‘Echinacea - Life in full colour’ were exhibited at the Saatchi Gallery in London’s Chelsea as part of the RHS Botanical Art & Photography Show. The paintings were awarded a Silver-Gilt Medal.