LANDSCAPES
Through photography, I explore the intricacies of ecosystems. Influenced by the 17th-century Dutch Golden Age—particularly Rachel Ruysch’s floral still lifes and her meditation on impermanence—my work reflects the fleeting beauty of flora while addressing contemporary concerns of climate change. References to vanitas and sottobosco guide the work: vanitas shifts from a reflection on human mortality to an outward warning, urging respect for the natural systems that sustain us, while sottobosco emphasizes the drama of dense undergrowth.
Each composition begins with careful gathering: fauna sourced through institutions or experts, insects and nests foraged, vessels handmade or inherited, and flowers from local farmers. I assemble the arrangements in my studio using window light, working on “flower time”—continuing until the materials are depleted.
The still lifes are captured in collaboration with a camera operator using a Phase One IQ4, which records multiple images at varying focus points and digitally stacks them for extraordinary detail. Painted backgrounds are commissioned from an artist, inspired by the cloudscapes of Johannes Vermeer and Pieter Bruegel.
The resulting works are larger-than-life botanical compositions that bring historic motifs and symbolism into the present through contemporary digital photography, creating a dialogue across artistic periods and reaffirming the relevance of these visual languages.
Winter, 2025
Presented at Art Toronto by Smokestack Studio Gallery, October 2025
Sjaarda has long used historic artistic influences in her work. This series adds a painted sky by Canadian artist Nancy Friedland, inspired by Dutch Golden Age cloudscapes like Vermeer’s. Shot with Smokestack co-founder Jonathan Groeneweg using a Phase One IQ4, the still life was captured with high-resolution focus stacking—multiple photos at slightly different focus points combined into one image. The result shows every part of the scene in extreme clarity, beyond what the eye or hand can achieve.
