PATTERN PLAY

Wildlife photographer and artist Jake Mosher takes inspiration from nature to create unique contemporary artwork for online Runway Gallery

Having grown up among unbroken woodland in northern Vermont, Runway Gallery artist, Jake Mosher, has always been passionate about nature. However, it wasn’t until he left his job as an explosives engineer and moved to Montana that his desire to capture it came to the fore. ‘Sitting by a lake in the Rocky Mountains, I was struck by the beauty all around me – I felt it deserved to be shared,’ he says. Since then, he’s won numerous awards including the People’s Choice award from the Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year, sponsored by the Royal Maritime Museum, Greenwich. Jake’s latest collection, Metamorphosis, is inspired by the intricate patterns on butterfly and moth wings, observed through his camera at high-magnification. ‘I entwine art and photography in a way that’s never been seen before, like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon,’ he says.

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO MAKE BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS YOUR SUBJECT MATTER?

The colours and the brilliance of their wings – it’s a miracle of nature. I wanted to find a unique way to capture their beauty.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR ‘METAMORPHOSIS’ TECHNIQUE.

I start by taking hundreds of highly magnified images of small sections of butterfly and moth wings, moving the camera a minuscule amount each time. Once my editing programme has stacked them into a single image, I work with the pictures to create a kaleidoscope-like effect.

WHAT’S BEEN YOUR CAREER HIGHLIGHT SO FAR?

Last year one of my pieces was featured as Photo of the Week in The Sunday Times and has since been publicised around the world.

HOW DO YOU DISPLAY YOUR ART?

I’ve always been a fan of less is more. You’ve chosen a piece for a reason, so make it centre stage. My pieces are pretty big so they can hold their own in bigger spaces. Against a neutral wall, the colours really stand out.

WHERE IS YOUR WORK BEST HUNG?

It depends on your personality. In a hallway, the art sets the tone for the rest of the home. In a bedroom, it’s the first thing you see when you wake up so it needs to inspire you.

WHAT ABOUT FRAMES? I suggest no frame – the butterfly shouldn’t be boxed in.

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR BUYING ART?

Choose pieces that you love. Investing in art is great, but it’s tricky to predict what a piece is going to be worth.

WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT RUNWAY GALLERY?

The diversity of artwork on offer. Why scour gallery after gallery when you can browse collections at the click of a button? To buy stylish and affordable artwork by Jake Mosher and other artists, visit runway-gallery.com