Before I get into the real guts of this post, let me first say that this month, TEN YEARS AGO, was my very first public exhibit…the exhibit that started it all. Details on that will be coming soon, but I thought it worth mentioning as it was exactly ten years ago that I decided to toss myself out there and see if there was any hope at all of actually doing something with all of this artwork that I had been creating and collecting. I will dive deeper into this in my next blog entry.
Now, on to the real subject of this post…
The number two question (number one coming soon…) that I always get when people ask me about my art is “Why flowers?”. Admittedly, it took me a while to come up with a truly authentic answer. Yes, I like flowers…in fact, I love flowers. They make me happy. They are beautiful and vibrant and bold and, quite honestly, pretty darn amazing. However, that’s not really the reason that I can’t stop painting them.
As I progressed in my art journey, I found myself constantly trying to create bolder and richer colors. First, I was completely drawn to all the rich, warm autumn tones….reds, oranges and yellows. So yummy! Then, I began dabbling in gorgeous magentas, pinks and purples. Next came the wide range of blues and greens. Soon, I was trying to incorporate all these colors into a single painting, even when it was so subtle the average person couldn’t tell.
Have you ever walked into a flower shop or a garden in full bloom? What is the first thing that you notice? ALL THE COLORS!! At least that’s what I notice. Have you ever really examined a flower? Looked closely at the petals, the gorgeous centers and even the backside? If you haven’t, you are missing out. It’s amazing! From the tiniest of wildflowers to giant…in-your-face…sunflowers, you will find an astounding variety of colors.
There is just something about color that has a profound effect on me. It changes my mood, energizes me, calms me and inspires me. I am especially drawn to highly saturated colors (this is why I have struggled over the years to create anything in a pastel palette). In addition to the actual tones and hues, I am attracted to the contrasts between the lightest lights and the darkest darks. I think this is very evident in my current work, but was still being discovered in my early years.
So, why flowers? The simple answer is COLOR. A slightly more detailed answer can be found in my artist statement: “I have found great passion in creating the colors and textures which eventually bloom into a bold, vibrant flower. Being inspired by the serenity of nature and the energizing effect of vibrant colors, flowers provide a beautiful palette for me to explore and an opportunity to escape from the daily stresses of life and the freedom to express these feelings on canvas.”
Below you will find the first painting that I ever sold, Plumerias, along side some of my early experimentation with painting flowers. My style had not yet been fully defined, but that was coming soon.
If you have been enjoying these posts about my art journey, please share them with anyone who might be interested. I have always found the story behind the success (in any area) is always pretty fascinating and helps me to connect more deeply to the art, product, service, or person....often times even discovering things that I can relate to. I hope this does the same for you! Thank you for taking the time to read and share.
Next up: An accidental “style” begins to emerge…