Soren Eriksen

@soreneriksen

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Belladonna

A branch of deadly nightshade hangs heavy against pure black, its glossy berries catching light like wet gemstones. The fruits are rendered at various stages of ripeness — some deep obsidian, others still showing the teal sheen of approaching maturity. Each berry sits in its calyx like a jewel in a setting, the sepals splayed back to present the poisonous offering. A single flower in delicate pink and mauve opens at the right, star-shaped and innocent — the beautiful lure that precedes the lethal fruit. The leaves are painted with the same loving precision: veins traced, edges slightly curled, surface texture suggesting the soft, slightly fuzzy quality of the living plant. Against the absolute black background, the branch floats like a specimen removed from time. It's the most traditionally beautiful piece in Soren's collection, and the most quietly dangerous.