"Mapping Textures" , Digital media, 2023. Credit: Varsha Suresh

This week we welcome Varsha Suresh, an artist, photographer, and researcher based in New York City. She uses her artistic practice to understand natural worlds and tell stories about herself. Through each piece, she strives to heal and connect with the places she loves, following the words of botanist and author Robin Wall Kimmerer: “To love a place is not enough. We must find ways to heal it.”

“I See Them Blue” , Gouache on Paper, 2023, 11”x14”. Credit: Varsha Suresh

Suresh’s art serves as a microscope and a canvas, magnifying the often-overlooked corners of the natural world. She delves deep into the verdant mysteries of forest floors and hidden nooks in gardens, exploring the lush diversity of flora and fauna through the paintbrush. In her creative process, colors are not just seen; they are felt—intensified, exaggerated, and almost surreal. She takes this approach to set up a challenge to reconsider the familiar, transforming everyday greens and browns into a spectacle of hues that demand attention and provoke curiosity. Texture and pattern form the backbone of her visual language. Through them, she builds layers of complexity into every painting, inviting you to look again (and again). The more you see, the more there seems to be, as details emerge and forms evolve – it’s an invitation to explore, to lose oneself in a jungle of details that continually unfold.

“Sudden Spring” Gouache on Paper, 2023, 11”x14”. Credit: Varsha Suresh

Her artistic practice is a blend of observation and invention, honoring the beauty and richness of the environment while pushing the envelope on traditional botanical illustration. Whether through the exploration of new materials or the integration of digital techniques, she is always looking for ways to evolve her style and practice. Varsha’s ethos is deeply rooted in environmentalism and conservation.

“Virginia is For Lovers”, Digital media, 2023. Credit: Varsha Suresh

Each piece serves as a visual reminder of the beauty and fragility of ecosystems, inviting us to experience and preserve the magic that lies outdoors. In essence, her work is a celebration, a call to action, and a bit of a botanical riot—all rolled into one. It’s where the wild things grow, unfettered and unapologetically vibrant.

See more of Varsha’s work on her website and Instagram.

Read more of our Artist of the Week profiles here.

Nitin is a visual designer, gallery artist, and community arts activist. Past desk-oriented posts include: PBS, Digitas, K12, Inc., Fox News, The Wall Street Journal and Sesame Workshop International....

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