What is Strange Plants?
Strange Plants is a deep dive into how the bizarre and beautiful sides of nature find their way into art and other forms. This Substack continues the conversation from my books, exploring the quirky, captivating ways plants inspire us. Think of it as a journey through a botanical wonderland, where each stop reveals a new, fascinating story about the natural world.
What books?
Strange Plants is a series of books I published that celebrates plants in contemporary art. The first book featured the work of 25 artists—from oozing paintings of rotting cacti to eerie, mesmeric photos of the leafy kudzu vine—and discussed the role plants play in the artists’ lives. The book was featured by The New York Times T Magazine, Nowness, 032c and Sight Unseen, among others, and won the gold prize for best editorial project by the Art Directors Club of Europe, gold trophy at the Laus Graphic Design and Visual Communications Awards, and became a part of the endowment of the Barcelona Design Museum.
Subsequent volumes included large-scale paintings of overgrown cactus gardens, filmic and otherworldly photos of water lilies, and glitchy textiles of roses sourced from social media. These books were featured by AnOther, Oyster, Dazed and i-D, and were available at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, MoMA PS1, Whitney Museum of American Art, Tate Modern, Fondation Louis Vuitton and Gucci Garden, among others.
What will you receive?
A newsletter once or twice a month. Recurring series include:
🌿 Arrangements: Thoughtful musings rooted in the natural world—from a single plant to entire ecosystems. In volume two, we dove into the enchanting allure of Angel's Trumpet, a plant as dangerous as it is beautiful, exploring its presence in art and literature. In volume five, we got up close with Heliconia, a tropical plant that epitomizes the strange and alluring aspects of warm-climate flora.
💐 Picking Flowers: Interviews with florists and plant enthusiasts. First up, we chatted with Sophia Moreno-Bunge of Isa Isa, who crafts lush, textural arrangements inspired by the wild landscapes of Los Angeles and Argentina. Next, we explored the world of Ren Macdonald-Balasia of Renko Floral, known for her bold, unconventional designs reminiscent of underwater scenes in her native Hawaii.
🌴 Seasonal Round-Ups: What I’m reading, watching and savoring right now. In "The Start of Summer," I shared Jade Nguyen's whimsical topiary-inspired artwork, Michèle F. Bérard's psychedelic flower portraits, and much more.
🌵 Wild Cards: Articles like this one on my journey into Quetzalcoatl's Nest — a surreal, snake-shaped marvel in Mexico, where an architectural serpent winds its way through leafy paths and flowering vines.
