Isabella Kirkland: Nova 18 May – 18 June 2011< past  > artist page
Isabella Kirkland’s Nova series focuses on species of flora and fauna that are new to scientific literature within the last 20 years. The number of species that remain “undiscovered” is difficult to estimate. Many scientists believe that of all living things on earth, perhaps only 10 to 15 percent have been given a Latin name and assigned a place in the larger picture of evolution.

Each of the four canvases in this series depicts a different layer of a typical montane rainforest: forest floor, understory, canopy, and emergent, or topmost, layer. While the plants and animals shown in the paintings are rainforest denizens, they are from many different parts of the world and would never be seen together in real life. The ecosystems pictured are thus idealized scenes, existing only in the imagination. In general, the accurate representation of recently discovered flora and fauna is difficult. Often the only people with clear images and knowledge of a new species are the describing scientists themselves; their descriptions, specimens, and drawings, as well as the work of wildlife artists and photographers, have served as references for the renderings of the species included here.


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Isabella Kirkland, Nova: Understory, 2007 ikf0702 Isabella Kirkland, Nova: Understory, 2007 (detail) ikf0702 Isabella Kirkland, Nova: Canopy, 2008 ikf0801 Isabella Kirkland, Nova: Canopy, 2008 (detail) ikf0801 Isabella Kirkland, Nova: Emergent, 2011 ikf1101 Isabella Kirkland, Nova: Emergent, 2011 (detail) ikf1101 Isabella Kirkland, Nova: Forest Floor, 2007 ikf0703 Isabella Kirkland, Nova: Forest Floor, 2007 (detail) ikf0703 Isabella Kirkland, Leaf, 2010 ikf1002 Isabella Kirkland, Bunny Meeting, 2010 ikf1103 Isabella Kirkland, Bachman’s Warbler (EX), 2011 ikf1104 Isabella Kirkland, Great Auk Eggs, 2011 ikf1104 Isabella Kirkland, Phosphorescent Mice (Study for Nova Series), 2005 ikf0509 Isabella Kirkland, ‘I’iwi, 2011 ikf1102 Isabella Kirkland, Descendant, 2007, from Taxa, #1 of 6 ikf0701 Isabella Kirkland, Ascendant, 2007, from Taxa, #2 of 6 ikf0701 Isabella Kirkland, Trade, 2007, from Taxa, #3 of 6 ikf0701 Isabella Kirkland, Collection, 2007, from Taxa, #4 of 6 ikf0701 Isabella Kirkland, Back, 2007, from Taxa, #5 of 6 ikf0701 Isabella Kirkland, Gone, 2007, from Taxa, #6 of 6 ikf0701
Nova: Understory, 2007; oil paint on polyester
over wood panel; 60 x 48”; $ 175,000
Nova: Understory, 2007 (detail) Nova: Canopy, 2008; oil paint on polyester over
wood panel; 60 x 48”; $ 175,000
Nova: Canopy, 2008 (detail) Nova: Emergent, 2011; oil paint on polyester over
wood panel; 60 x 48”; $ 175,000
Nova: Emergent, 2011(detail) Nova: Forest Floor, 2007; oil paint on polyester over wood panel; 36 x 72”; $ 175,000 Nova: Forest Floor, 2007 (detail) Leaf, 2010; oil paint on wood panel; 14 x 10.5”; $ 5,000 space Bunny Meeting, 2010; oil paint on wood panel; 18 x 24”; $ 8,500 Bachman’s Warbler (EX), 2011; oil paint on wood panel; 15.75 x 19.75”; $ 6,500 Great Auk Eggs, 2011; oil paint on wood panel; 12 x 16”; $ 5,000 Phosphorescent Mice (Study for Nova Series), 2005; oil paint on wood panel; 10.75 x 13.75”; $ 5,000 ‘I’iwi, 2011; oil paint on wood panel; 7.75 x 9.75”; $ 4,000 (detail) Descendant, 2007, from Taxa, #1 of a suite of 6 inkjet prints; edition of 50, printed by Trillium Press
on Moab Entrada natural white paper; 35 x 26.5”;
$ 15,000. for boxed set of 6 prints; $ 3,500. individually
Ascendant, 2007, from Taxa, #2 of a suite of 6 inkjet prints; edition of 50, printed by Trillium Press
on Moab Entrada natural white paper ; 35 x 26.5”;
$ 15,000. for boxed set of 6 prints; $ 3,500. individually
Trade, 2007, from Taxa, #3 of a suite of 6 inkjet prints; edition of 50, printed by Trillium Press
on Moab Entrada natural white paper ; 26.5 x 35”; $ 15,000. for boxed set of 6 prints; $ 3,500. individually
Collection, 2007, from Taxa, #4 of a suite of 6 inkjet prints; edition of 50, printed by Trillium Press
on Moab Entrada natural white paper ; 26.5 x 35 ”; $ 15,000. for boxed set of 6 prints; $ 3,500. individually
Back, 2007, from Taxa, #5 of a suite of 6 inkjet prints;
edition of 50, printed by Trillium Press
on Moab Entrada natural white paper ; 35 x 26.5”;
$ 15,000. for boxed set of 6 prints; $ 3,500. individually
Gone, 2007, from Taxa, #6 of a suite of 6 inkjet prints;
edition of 50, printed by Trillium Press
on Moab Entrada natural white paper ; 35 x 26.5”;
$ 15,000. for boxed set of 6 prints; $ 3,500. individually
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