Beauty in Decay

When a piece of fruit goes mouldy, our first reaction is to screw up our face and throw it into the bin or the compost. It would be a rare person who would stop, look closely and find beauty in it. But this is precisely what textile artist, Kathleen Ryan does.

A beaded lemon (source)

We first saw Ryan’s oversized fruits on our friend Mr X-Stitch’s blog. We could hardly believe that they were minutely reconstructed out of precious and semi-precious gemstones, inviting us to look very differently at a part of the natural flow of life which we often turn away from.

A beaded orange (source)

‘The pieces…tread a fine line between the beautiful and the grotesque…as well as provide a commentary on excessive consumption and waste.’

It is difficult not to appreciate how beauty can be found in all things if we just take the time to look.

A peach (source)

You can read more about Kathleen’s work HERE or follow her on Instagram @katieryankatieryan