Seedpod. I
Wishbone Series.
Seedpod I
Watercolour on Paper - Botanical Ultra SmoothFramed. 26cm x 23cm
Wishbone Seedpod
In the stillness of early 2021, during the deep hush of lockdown, Marianne turned to the quiet archive of her studio — drawers filled with gathered seeds, kept for a future purpose. There she rediscovered this small, broken pod. Mended gently with glue and bound in thread as it dried, it was suspended from a bulldog clip on her board — an object repaired, waiting.
Its form captivated her: the outer casing silvery and smooth, the interior rough and intricately marked. Unlabelled and anonymous, its origin unknown, it became something freer — a study of texture, fragility, and form.
As it hung there for days, the pod began to resemble a wishbone left to dry. The act of binding it felt symbolic — a quiet acknowledgement that some wishes require tending, even repair. Drawn to both its inner and outer surfaces, Marianne created two paintings, honouring each side of the pod: two perspectives on a single, mended wish.
About Marianne
At MOR Studio, we are continually drawn to artists whose practice feels both devotional and urgent. Marianne Hazlewood is one such voice. Surrounded by plants, she works in a state of quiet attention — fascinated, soothed and centred by their intricate structures and intimate detail. Her paintings invite us closer, asking that we reconsider what we so often overlook. In Marianne’s hands, botany is not background dressing but vital presence.
Her journey began at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, inspired by the 1987 exhibition of Rory McEwen. She later graduated from RBGE’s Diploma in Botanical Illustration with Distinction, receiving the Eve Reid Bennett Book Prize, and has since become an award-winning practitioner, including Gold at the Royal Horticultural Society London Botanical Art Show.
Marianne’s work balances scientific precision with reverence. Whether exhibiting internationally or teaching the next generation, she reminds us that plants are foundational to our ecology — and that attentive looking is, perhaps, an act of care.
