ABOUT THE WORK

I've become interested in something beyond the now-familiar idea that nature, or even images of nature, can support our health and wellbeing. This work looks more specifically at colour: at the particular shades and tones that occur in the natural world, and what it might mean to immerse ourselves in them rather than simply look at them.

An early influence was Werner's Nomenclature of Colours, an 1814 publication that catalogued the colours most commonly found in nature, each one matched to an example from the animal, vegetable, and mineral world. This series is my own response to that idea, two centuries on.

Each of the five necklaces is built around a single, exact colour, gathered entirely from things found in nature. Collecting and colour-matching the materials was, in itself, a slow and mindful process. The finished pieces carry a double meaning: protection, and armour.

The work has its roots in something personal. During treatment for breast cancer, I experienced the quiet, healing effect that art within the hospital environment itself can have. That experience has shaped this practice ever since.

WHITES NECKLACE 1, 2026
Leghorn Whites eggshells, Pure British Romney fleece, seagull feathers, clear quartz, hag stones, raffia, dried helichrysum.

I’d love to know how my work made you feel.

VISITING DETAILS

Exhibited in partnership with Dorset County Hospital and Arts in Hospital, in the corridor surrounding the courtyard displaying the Elisabeth Frink Dog sculpture, on display until 12 October 2026.

FINDING THE EXHIBITION

North Wing Level 1 (corridor to restaurant), Dorset County Hospital, Williams Avenue, Dorchester, DT1 2JY Tel: 01305 253424

POSTCARDS AND PRINTS OF THE SERIES WILL BE AVAILABLE SOON.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Dawn Weller is an artist, colour practitioner, and educator developing a practice at the intersection of natural colour, therapeutic environments, and arts in health. Her work seeks to inspire an immersion in the colour of the natural world.

With a background of over twenty-five years in set design, prop styling, and visual merchandising, she is currently completing an MA in Creative Practice. Her wider practice spans colour consultancy, workshops in healthcare settings, and writing articles on colour, nature, and wellbeing.