Flower Portrait (Dahlia) I

Acrylic, Gouache & Pencil on Linen The catalyst for the Flower Portraits came from a specific flower (Dahlia) that I came across in the summer of 2015. Something about the color gradation and precise construction of that particular bloom made a profound connection with me. During that interaction, I realized that there was a “point of beauty” in flowers that impacted me on a deep emotional level and activated my need to capture a particular bloom with paint. Working very intentionally with live flowers, I began studying the entire life cycle from bud to bloom to fading and withering; observing how the shapes and colors shift throughout this process. The initial Flower Portrait paintings emerged as pared-down contour drawings over painted surfaces that represented flower-specific color studies. Later paintings broadened in complexity and scale - painted drawings that overlapped and combined multiple viewpoints, life cycle elements and colors into a singular visual story as in Flower Portrait (Woman), 2016.