Synthetic Growth

For my third-year drawing course, I’ve been building circular panels with layers of acrylic nails—hundreds of them, in carefully selected shades of pink, white, brown, and blue. Each nail is superglued into place, forming dense, textured surfaces that echo the spore-producing teeth of fungi. From a distance, the panels feel organic, almost soft, but up close, the synthetic materials make themselves known. The contrast sits somewhere between allure and discomfort—beauty shaped from artifice.

I begin by sourcing the right nails, matching colours and shapes with the palette in mind. Once glued down, they need to be cleaned, each panel cleared of any glue residue before I recoat the surfaces with clear varnish. The varnish catches the light, bringing out subtle shifts in color and sheen, giving the surface an almost wet look.

The final step is adding glass beads along the edges, a detail that frames each piece, pulling the composition together. There’s a rhythm to the process—repetitive and precise. Each layer builds slowly, transforming the wood panels into something both familiar and strange.