
Seaweed; Kelp; gouache on paper drawing; 18.5 x 24 cm
This is an ongoing series. First of all I must thank Carolyn Ricci Technical Officer Phycology of the State Herbarium of South Australia in Adelaide who imbued me with a fascination for algae that simply grew and grew. I have been lucky enough to visit repeatedly, in 2019 I was a visiting researcher in Adelaide and I was permitted to use the (electron) microscope to study the details of the algae collection I was introduced to. I had a fascinating collection to study in their archives.
Archives State herbarium of South Australia
I was also privileged to meet Dr W.F. Prud’Homme van Reine who guided me through a small part of the Naturalis algae collection in Leiden. It is extraordinary and the stacks of herbarium boxes left an indelible image on me. I used them as a basis for a herbarium series. These are drawings of algae details that read as individual abstract drawings and as a whole form another image. They are presented as herbarium specimens, each individually wrapped in a paper folder.
Grateloupia filciana in herbarium box

Nemalion helimthoides in herbarium box
Entermorpha plumosa as a single drawing
My research methods are multifarious: I work from original documents or in this case also specimens, I use historical material, I read technical papers, guidebooks, textbooks and I speak to as many people as I can. I ask for reading lists. In this case I was given a simple description of the methods for gathering seaweed and for preserving the specimens. I used this to gather my own samples.
It was one of these samples that I found that lead me on a long but for me fascinating process of discovery. While I was on Belle-île in Brittany I found a deep red algae that fascinated me. It was covered with a rash of holes. I needed to give this a name. I learnt so much in the process. Algae is not easy to catalogue. I began an adventure to discover something so apparently simple. My many thanks to Carolyn Ricci & Bob Balcock, Honorary Associate of the State Herbarium of South Australia; Dr Amanda Savoie, Research Scientist and Director the Centre of Arctic Knowledge and Exploration, Ottawa; Prof. Eric Thiébaut of the Sorbonne Université & director of the UAR2017 OSU STAMAR Station biolgique de Roscoff and his colleagues who were all very helpful, a particular thanks to Dr. Sandrine Derrien-Courtel at the Station Marine de Concarneau and finally Pr Dr Line Le Gall, Department of Origins and evolution, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France, who tested a sample for me and confirmed that it was an example of Dilsea carnosa. The holes had developed to protect the seaweed from the extreme currents. This was really three exciting months, I had never expected to learn so much from one humble and beautiful piece of algae found on the beach.