Fleur Painting

I am constantly inspired by the never ending beauty of nature. I grew up in a cottage with a quintessential English garden that was abundant with an enormous variety of plant life. I spent a large part of my childhood outside, growing plants from seed and collecting flower specimens, and hiding out in woodlands. My current focus is capturing an ephemeral moment of a flower’s life. I also draw influence from how the petal’s structure and movement has likeness to that of fabric. The process begins with selecting a variety of flower. Sometimes I know the kind of thing I want, other times I see something and know it would be enjoyable to paint. I photograph the flowers in different lights and arrangements and over the course of several days. This way I get to be able to decide upon a life stage that I think is really beautiful. Some flowers look best when they’re in full bloom, but I find others take on a new kind of beauty when they start to wilt. The silhouette takes on a new perspective and the textures in the petals start to change. Once this is done I sift through the images and decide on what to commit to the canvas. Then I start painting! I like to generally keep a white background because I like that feeling that the flowers are suspended-in a point in time, and in a weightless void. It emphasizes the transitory moment of the fickle blooms.