Elizabeth D’Agostino, Kelly McDonald, and Ava Roth

This month, we are featuring three artists whose practices engage deeply with natural materials and ecosystems: Elizabeth D’Agostino, Kelly McDonald, and Ava Roth.

Elizabeth D’Agostino
Canadian artist Elizabeth D’Agostino works across print media, sculpture, and installation, drawing inspiration from the rich complexity of Canadian flora and fauna and the delicate relationships between organisms and their environments. Her finely detailed etchings and mixed-media works often blur the boundary between plant and animal forms, generating imagined ecosystems that reflect on biodiversity and ecological transformation.

Kelly McDonald
Ottawa-based photo-based artist Kelly McDonald creates contemplative botanical work that resonates with her personal experience living with Parkinson’s disease. In her Relics series, McDonald photographs locally sourced plant specimens at various stages of decay, printing the images on delicate washi paper. These works reflect both the lifecycle of the botanicals and the evolving physical experience of the artist, acknowledging loss and resilience while honoring the beauty of each form.

Ava Roth
Toronto-based artist Ava Roth’s interdisciplinary work spans encaustic painting, embroidery, weaving, and natural materials. In her Honeycomb Collection (often referred to in relation to her Honeybee Collaboration works), Roth places art objects into beehives where honeybees build honeycomb around them, resulting in pieces that emerge from an interspecies collaboration. This body of work explores profound relationships between humans and the natural environment, highlighting the creative agency of non-human collaborators.