Painted Nettles explores the complex relationship between humans and nature, particularly as mediated by capitalist Western culture. A television screen broadcasts a scene from a nature documentary, reflecting how nature is often commodified within entertainment. While these documentaries can serve an activist purpose by raising awareness about environmental issues, they ultimately provide a highly passive and digitally filtered experience of nature, distancing viewers from direct engagement.

The female subject of the painting sits in an unnatural position, her body language emphasising a disconnection from her environment. With her foot she damages a nearby potted plant, her physical tension translating into a form of passive destruction. This act of harm to nature mirrors the way the environment is damaged by human actions, even in a passive way.