Title: The Rainforest Disappears

Medium: liquid acrylic and graphite

Size: 22x30in

About This Work:

This painting is part of my Wild Beauty at Risk series, inspired by my artist residency at AIR Ubud in Bali. After receiving a grant from the Manitoba Arts Council just before the pandemic lockdown, I waited two years before finally travelling to Bali in April 2022.

The AIR Ubud residency was extraordinary. Our river room had soaring ceilings and wide windows opening directly into the jungle, and the community studio where I painted every day was open to the rainforest on one side. Surrounded by the lush sights, sounds, and scents of the jungle, I immersed myself in the wonder of this tropical environment.

During the residency, I created large 9-foot drawings and paintings on nylon and Tyvek, experimenting with local dyes that change colour in sunlight and traditional sustainable dyes made from native plants and trees. I allowed the staining of dyes on nylon to bleed into the Tyvek, creating rich, abstract foundations for my work.

I sketched at every opportunity—hiking into rainforest gorges, pausing for a cool drink, wandering through the sacred Monkey Forest, and exploring waterfalls with my family on weekends. One unforgettable sketching session even happened during a torrential downpour, deep in a rainforest gorge by the river.

The focus of this project was to record the remnants of once-great tropical jungles. I want viewers to fall in love with the awe-inspiring beauty of the jungle—and to care enough to preserve and protect what remains.

These paintings are a love letter to the tropical jungles, both the ones I explored in the Eastern Java-Bali Rainforest in Indonesia and the ones I carry within me from my childhood in the Congo. They are born of gratitude, urgency, and wonder: an invitation to fall in love with the wild beauty that remains, and to fight for its survival.

You can purchase your favourite piece and bring this magical Bali Rainforest into your home or office.

How This Work Was Made:

Each painting was created in my studio using reference sketches and photos taken during my time in the rainforest. I worked with liquid acrylic, ink, and graphite on luxurious 22 x 30-inch 100% rag Somerset paper, allowing the vibrant imagery to flow naturally over all four edges.

For strength and longevity, the paper is professionally adhered to canvas and sealed with clear acrylic varnish to protect the surface. The work arrives ready to hang—no framing or stretching required, making it easy to display and enjoy immediately.

Paintings can be rolled carefully and shipped in a secure tube for safe delivery, or if you're in Winnipeg, I can personally hand-deliver your piece.

Bring the vibrant spirit of the rainforest into your home or office with a unique, one-of-a-kind artwork designed to inspire and uplift.

Please note: colours may appear slightly different on screen than they do on your art card.

Follow my art adventure on Instagram @cornelius.karen

Karen Cornelius holds the Copyright on all her artwork. No image may be reproduced for any reason without the consent of the artist.