Thursday, 11 May 2023 09:17
The Office of Culture of the Consell de Formentera is pleased to report that from 16 to 27 May, the "Ajuntament Vell" Exhibition Hall will host "Flora i Fauna de Formentera" by Suzanne Carpenter.
The display is a collection of paintings on local plant and animal life, the artist's starting point when she arrived on the island. "It was what surrounded me and inspired me every day", she explained. It offers a window to Formentera's rich biodiversity for non-islanders, teaching them to "value it and understand the need to care for it, respect it, and enjoy its beauty", she added. It is a journey into the island's past––one whose relevance today remains as potent as the message hidden behind each stroke: "Everything that Formentera was and is is thanks to its nature".
Opening Monday 15 May at 7.00pm, "Flora i Fauna de Formentera" will remain on view at "Ajuntament Vell" Exhibition Hall from Tuesday to Saturday, 11.00am to 2.00pm and 7.00pm to 9.00pm.
Suzanne Carpenter Johnstone
Suzanne Carpenter Johnstone was born in Kircudbright, Scotland, in 1947. When she was four years old, her family moved to Entebbe, Uganda, where her father worked as a dentist for five years. This awakened in Carpenter a sense of adventure and love of travel that made finishing her days in Scotland unthinkable.
So it was that, in 1967, she arrived on Formentera for the first time, backpack in tow and chasing a dream of what she had heard about. That first visit changed the course of her life. After completing her studies and marrying architect Bill Wright, she returned to the island in 1968 for their honeymoon. On this trip they began to dream of staying on the island for a time, with no plans to leave. Fifty-two years on, they are still here.
Art and painting have always been an important part of Carpenter's life, she worked as a model and later co-owned one of the most iconic stores in Sant Francesc, but in recent years she has dedicated herself more and more to botanical painting, inspired by the native nature of Formentera.
11 May 2023
Office of Communication
Consell de Formentera