I started to question and investigate the impact that humanity is having on our planet after relocating from an urban to a rural location.
This move fostered within me a profound bond with nature, its cycles and its guiding forces, as well as an understanding of its strength and power.
I believe that every element of our natural world is intricately woven, interdependent and connected, and that our ecosystem, along with the smaller systems within it, is linked through cycles that create the web of life. I believe that these cycles must remain intact to prevent the unravelling of the threads that bind it all together.
Through my artwork, I take on a critical role that seeks to contextualise the vastness of the human impact on the Earth while simultaneously revering the awe-inspiring beauty of our natural world. The key themes are nature, climate justice, coastal forest degradation and biodiversity (frequently featuring pollinators, fungal networks and ancient ecosystems).
The images I create lead me to discover the most beautiful places, which have served to expand my knowledge of our natural world. I have encountered moss-laden forests with towering conifers, oak, ash, willow and hazel trees. Magical places amplified by glacial lakes, moss-covered rocks, gently flowing streams and glades filled with ferns. Nature soon became my teacher. Astoundingly, trees are linked through a sophisticated network of thread-like fungal strands known as mycelium, which enable trees to exchange resources and communicate with one another.
Over time, I was drawn to recurring and interrelated shapes present in nature. I observed patterns frequently regarded as a fundamental blueprint for the universe, embodying principles of symmetry and balance. Many of these designs appear repeatedly in various forms, such as fungi, spiders’ webs, pinecones and flowers. Interestingly, similar patterns exist within our own bodies, within our nervous systems, arteries and the bones in our hands, further reinforcing our connection to nature.
Unfortunately, on many occasions, I have encountered litter pollution. This growing problem is harmful to our natural world. It contaminates both land and water, endangering wildlife through entanglement, ingestion and poisoning from harmful chemicals.
One cannot ignore the indispensable contributions that Mother Earth has made to our existence. She provides the key elements of life: plants, trees, water, minerals and a variety of plants and animals that sustain us. The Earth is a living, interconnected ecosystem, and we are an integral part of it. Damaging the Earth equates to damaging ourselves.
At its essence, my artwork is about connection and re-evaluating our relationship with the natural world. It is an invitation to reconnect, appreciate, protect and nurture our precious Earth.
About Christine Simpson
Christine Simpson is widely recognized for her distinctive use of photomontage and digital manipulation. Rather than relying on stock imagery or artificial intelligence, she creates complex, dreamlike tableaux by seamlessly blending between 30 and 100 individual photographs from her personal archive into a single image. Her signature surrealist, hyper-detailed compositions combine traditional photography with studio still life, sophisticated digital painting, and post-processing techniques, prompting reviewers to describe her style as an extravagant, light-filled interpretation of “René Magritte in photographic style” (Silken Photo Award, Brussels).
Christine has dedicated over 25 years to her career as a professional artist. With extensive experience in academia, she taught full-time on the Art and Design programmes at South East Technological University in Ireland. Her work has been exhibited in prominent venues worldwide, including the foyer of the Musée du Louvre, a projection in Times Square, the Royal Hibernian Academy, the Hunt Museum, the Museum of Living Treasures in Japan, and the United Nations Headquarters in New York, as part of the Black Wind/White Land exhibition.
Christine has received numerous accolades, including the Waterford Crystal Arts Award, the Graphis Gold Award in New York, and the Silken Photography Award in Brussels. She has also been shortlisted for the Sony World Photography Awards and the Lumen Art Prize.
Her work is held in numerous private collections, and she regularly undertakes commissions for artistic projects and photographic illustrations. She is currently represented by Linn Gallery and So Fine Arts in Ireland. [Official Website]
