THE STORY BEHIND THE ARTWORK
THE STORY BEHIND THE ARTWORK
In the depths of winter, I struggle with being indoors and lack of connection with nature. This series brings summer to my studio even when it’s cold and dark. Each composition and flower is created from my imagination and so reimagines what nature might look like.
While creating this series, I grappled with the idea that painting flowers is ‘twee’ and doesn’t push my artistic boundaries. But I gained so much joy from thinking about spring, I decided it was good for me, particularly as it was a meditative exercise.
Imagined Outside December 2024, Acrylic on deep edge canvas, 25x25cm /10x10”
Imagined Outside is a vibrant abstraction of flowers, symbolising renewal and growth. Created from my imagination, the flowers reflect what lies ahead, even when the present feels cold and dark.
The act of painting these flowers brought me light and joy in the middle of winter. Even when the outside world feels distant, this work shows my inner world can flourish with colour and possibility.
Layers and tones of blue in the background create a deep base for the 5 bright red flowers. The flowers, consisting of small yellow triangles above bulbous red petals and oddly textured leaves, are completely imaginary yet clearly represent flowers. The work encourages the viewer to question what makes a flower - is it shape, colour, location, presence of stems?
Imagined Pink Flowers January 2025, Acrylic on deep edge canvas, 25x25cm /10x10”
The colours and curves of the background are reminiscent of Monet’s lily pond. These background pastel greens, blues and pinks contrast against the stronger colours of the flowers and foliage in the foreground.
Many layers contribute to the relief when seen in person. However, the base layer of the pink flowers consists of a single colour. This juxtaposition of intense texture against flat colour gives the work a dreamlike quality, highlighting the imagined nature of the flowers.
Imagined Tulips January 2025, Acrylic on deep edge canvas, 25x25cm /10x10”
Tulips hold a special place in the artist’s heart as her favourite flower. Their vibrant hues and multitude of colours captivate her and make them a favoured gift from her husband.
This painting was created from memory. Are these tulips or just the artists imagined memory of tulips? The foreground is featureless other than the flowers and their leaves, giving the impression the flowers exist in their own world. This asks the viewer to question what is missing and wonder how the tulips have come to be alone in the frame.
The blue and pink background clearly represents a sky, but not one that exists in nature. Dark leaves and an almost black area at the base of the painting intensify the vivid red of the tulip petals and the softer green of their stems. The striking petals wouldn’t exist without their supporting stems and leaves, yet we don’t notice these at first. The eye is immediately drawn to the luscious red of the petals, barely noticing the strange location and odd colours around them.
