Art imitates nature in the Princess of Wales Conservatory

Kew's Butterflies, Bugs & Beasties showcases the work of seven talented artists: six sculptors and a sound artist/composer

Cristina assembles one of the hummingbirds

Cristina Ottonello - Hummingbirds

Cristina’s colourful hummingbird sculptures are full of vibrancy and life, their bright colours reflecting the hues of the flowers pollinated by hummingbirds in the wild. Cristina specialises in large scale temporary structures for public spaces and events. She trained in Public Art and Design at Chelsea College of Art and Design, followed by an MA in Scenography at Central St Martins College of Art & Design.

Cristina believes that the community as a whole can benefit from a sense of wonderment and from a fun attitude to art and life in general.

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Paul working on his latest creation

Paul McGovern - Flies

Paul McGovern studied Graphic Arts at Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts and worked as a professional graphic designer/illustrator for a decade before a desire to work in three dimensions inspired him to take up sculpting. He always makes animals which have fascinated him for as long as he can remember. He loves the immediacy, strength and permanence of welded steel which is the medium used for much of his recent work. Concern over the destruction of the natural environment and the needless waste of its resources cause him to work with recycled materials whenever possible. He gains great satisfaction from turning everyday 'disposable' rubbish into objects of beauty. His fly sculptures for Kew are made from recycled tin-cans with cable ties for the spiky hairs and watering can roses for the eye sockets.

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Ruth with one of her sculptures

Ruth Moilliet – Pollen sculptures

Ruth Moilliet specialises in highly finished metal and glass sculptures inspired by the plant kingdom. You can see her interpretation of the fascinating structures of wind blown pollen installed at the entrance to Butterflies, Bugs & Beasties. The sculptures are made from mild steel and lightly powder coated with a matt lacquer to slow down the rusting process. The work will start to rust and organically change over years enhancing their natural appearance.

Ruth graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University with a BA in sculpture and MA in Art as Environment. She has exhibited in both the UK and abroad and her work features in international and UK based corporate, institutional and private collections.

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Chris working on a maquette in the studio

Christopher Baxter - Hawk Moth

Christopher Baxter’s work is inspired by the natural world and our role as humans within it. He graduated in Fine Arts at Kingston University in 2005 since when he has been working as an artist, designer and gardener in and around London. His work is in many private collections around the world. Chris likes using natural materials and forms in unexpected or unusual ways. His Hawk Moth in the Orchid Zone is made from pieces of tree bark and wood, its tremendous tongue extending three and a half metres as if about to feed on the comet orchid, of which it is the sole pollinator.

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Helen in the studio

Helen Davenport - Mexican long-nosed bats

Helen Davenport studied Fine Art and Sculpture at Sir John Cass School of Art in Whitechapel. She later combined this with fashion, pattern cutting and a passion for textiles and diversified into creating fantasy costumes for the carnival industry where she developed innovative techniques using new mediums which she has applied to her sculptures.

The skeletal frameworks of the three bats swooping over the desert zone of the Princess of Wales Conservatory were created using a combination of tissue paper and muslin soaked in PVA /SBR glue over a structure of wire, willow and masking tape. Their complex wings are made from diaphanous fabrics.

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Ross at work in the studio

Ross White - Beetle and Midge

Ross White has been a keen sculptor for the best part of his life taking pride in his versatility and the materials that he uses, ranging from traditional figurative clay to contemporary steel sculptures. He gained his degree in Theatre Design: Technical Arts Interpretation from Wimbledon School of Art. Ross is the resident prop maker at The Royal Theatre in Northampton.

Ross has always been fascinated by the natural world, which has inspired him to create a multitude of organic sculptures including the gangly midges and armoured industrial-looking beetle currently installed in the Princess of Wales Conservatory.

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Joe Evans

Joe Evans – soundscape

Sound artist and composer Joe Evans has created the audio backdrop to the bats, bees and hummingbirds exhibits in the Princess of Wales Conservatory. His previous work for Kew involved the soundscape for the snow dome in Kew’s Christmas festival in 2008. He has worked extensively in the theatre with credits including Dreamcatcher (Camden's People Theatre),The Happy Prince (national tour) and The Revenger’s Tragedy (Bridewell Theatre).

As a co-founder of RUBY IN THE DUST Theatre Company, Joe has scored the music for several productions such as Romeo and Juliet (Leicester Square Theatre) and The Little Dressmaker (Union Theatre and Tabard Theatre).