Canadian artist Renjitha Anoop creates one-stroke paintings of plant life. One-stroke is a painting technique where artists make forms with as many small brushstrokes as possible. For example, a single brushstroke from Anoop will create a fully finished flower petal, instead of using multiple brushstrokes as artists painting with other techniques would have required.
The technique takes years to master and relies on extensive preparation since each brushstroke is considered final once it is placed on a canvas. The permanence of each brushstroke that a one-stroke painter makes is akin to each line made by a tattoo artist on human skin.
Before putting down a single brushstroke, Anoop would have to do everything from sketching and preparing a set colour palette to pre-making the gradients that she wants to go on a single brushstroke. Conceptually, each brushstroke is a reflection of how every single action humanity takes can impact the long lives of plants. This is reflected in how Anoop’s artworks require long and intentional brushstrokes, embodying her hopes and prayers for nature to continue flourishing for as long as time lasts. This is why Renjitha Anoop’s pieces are aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of Life on Land.
The State of the World’s Plant and Fungi report from the Royal Botanic Gardens (RBG) Kew has estimated that over 40 percent of plants are currently threatened with extinction. This number does not include plant species yet to be charted by science, hence the total number of plant species threatened with extinction is likely higher than this estimate.
Using seaweed as a case study, Prof. Juliet Brodie from the British Natural History Museum underlines that, unlike animal species, plant life is experiencing a significant lack of human conservation and preservation efforts. The main cause of this phenomenon is the public’s lack of awareness and understanding of today’s plant life biodiversity crisis, which translates as a significant lack of support from governments and other relevant stakeholders. This is why advocacy efforts such as those done by Renjitha Anoop’s one-stroke paintings are crucial, as they help raise the public’s awareness of caring for plants as they do for the well-being of animals.
With this penchant for advocacy, Renjitha Anoop’s one-stroke paintings of plant life are truly manifestations of her deep love and care for the environment. Her mastery of the technique allows her to perfectly capture how human beings should be more mindful of how their consumption habits and daily life decisions affect the longevity of plant life. At the same time, her deliberate and continuous practice calls for continued plant life preservation and conservation efforts, something that is urgently required in a world where over 40 percent of its plant biodiversity is threatened with extinction.
Find out more about one stroke paintings by Renjitha Anoop and their other initiatives by checking their Instagram on @onestrokeart16_renjithaanoop.