ARTIST STATEMENT
“A BEAUTIFUL UNITY” highlights the relationship of two different plants coming together in an exquisite, profound way.
Those plants took root on a simple core neighbourhood fence over the course of the summer and fall of 2016 in Pleasant Hill, right beside St. Mary’s Elementary School. Due to a combination of flash freezing along with a host of other environmental factors, these seedheads managed to remain intact despite being in a open field, all throughout the winter season.
This series, “A Beautiful Unity”, was a serendipitous occurrence I noticed after I had took a pause from a chaotic lifestyle to appreciate the beauty of nature that often gets overlooked. As I approached this overcrowded fence of seedheads during the beginning of the winter season, I was amazed by how those two delicate plants formed a relationship to support each other despite the complications those plants faced. In a way, I saw these plants as a symbol of love and courage. And in a way, these plants can relate to us in life.
My purpose for this series was to photograph the complex and the simple, and portray the beauty of love and courage these plants have for each other. In our world today, life is not meant to be straightforward. That overcrowded fence was a beautiful mess but as we get closer, we can learn that life can be simple as long as there is someone or something alongside us to bear it.
BIO
Natasha Yokoyama-Ramsay is a freelance photographer currently based in Saskatoon. She graduated with a degree in photography and design from Alberta College of Art + Design and has participated in several group shows in Calgary, Alberta. Natasha’s main interest in photography is portraits, where she seeks raw qualities and reveals the honest and vulnerable characteristics in her subjects.