Cecelia Webber creates entrancing images of flowers in full bloom, from luscious roses to sprightly sunflowers. But if you look a little closer you will may notice something strange about the vibrant petals... they are made of nude bodies! Webber's works create a fantasy world where people are tiny, flowers gigantic, and the human body is as natural as any form of plant life. We first came across her work at Oddity Central. In order to find out more, we asked Webber some questions about her naked talents. Scroll down for slideshow.
HP: Please tell us a little about your process. Who are the models?
CW: The models up until this point in time have all been volunteers. I've had a lot of people offer to pose for my pieces spontaneously. This month will actually mark the first in which I actively recruit models, and I'm going for a mix of different ages, body types, and ethnicities. [Our] culture can be very youth-centric and airbrushed, and I'm interested in portraying a much broader picture. I also appear as the model in a great deal of my artwork; I spent the first two years making this art with a self-timer on a little point and shoot digital camera I rigged up using the hanger bar in my closet.
HP: How long does each "flower" take to bloom?
It takes anywhere between a week and three months for a piece to take shape, depending on the complexity of what I'm trying to do.
HP: We've read that you spend your free time hunting for fairies. Have you been successful? How does art play into your daily balance of fantasy and reality?
CW: When I was little my dad read me the "Lord of the Rings" books, and that was what started the epic fairy and gnome hunting I did as a child. I was successful in so far as I found many frogs, salamanders and bugs with which to terrorize my mother. I grew up on an old farmhouse in rural New Hampshire, and I spent a lot of time in the woods and fields behind the house. When I got a little older my interests changed to philosophy and science. I try to keep my mind working. I'm of the opinion that you can't just make art about art, you have to make art about feelings and ideas. So I try to stay mentally active. There is so much potential to do so many great things everyday. I try to remember to live life like it's art -- that tends to make my artwork more interesting.
Check out Webber's magical garden of naked forms below:
