Many big cities have a reputation for being gray and industrial. But not in Amy Shackleton‘s world. The Canada-based artist imagines a future where cities and nature are connected. She creates vibrant acrylic paintings that merge architecture with organic landscapes.

Shackleton employs a drip painting technique—where paint is dripped or poured directly onto the canvas—to “achieve a natural energy in her work.” In fact, she achieves both the organic shapes found in the environment and the straight lines of modern buildings without the use of a paintbrush. Instead, she carefully directs the flow of paint and layers to achieve her mesmerizing designs.

“[I] drip representational works that bring nature back into the city,” she tells My Modern Met. “I apply liquid paint with squeeze bottles and rotate the canvas to manipulate the path of each drip.” As a result, Shackleton produces portals into a colorful world that is suspended between the future and imagination; where nature has returned to the city, or perhaps even been captured by it.

You can purchase available paintings via Shackleton's website, and keep up to date with her newest work by following the artist on Instagram.

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