Efflorescence - Kingston Gallery Show in Project Space, March 3 – 28, 2021
2020 has been one weird and sad year. I’ve been painting - flowers are a favorite subject. The mixing of the colors, the way the oil glides on the canvas, the beauty it can create, the lusciousness of it all. I’ve been fixated on realism in oil painting as far back as I can remember. Painting is still very much alive and well. I’ve had time to re-discover glazing during this pandemic, seeking knowledge from a friend – those discussions and processes have been enriching. It takes patience, skill and quick brush strokes to get a layer of glazing on just right. I think I’m getting it. The large painting called Efflorescence has three layers of glaze on the canvas. It became an almost scientific experiment to see what translucent colors worked best.
I’ve been lucky to watch flowers grow in my yard. So many of us have taken to nature during this time. I’ve been outside more than I’ve ever been in my adult life, walking and walking and observing. It provides a sense of calm. This past summer, I visited friends’ gardens, visited garden centers (safe places), and enjoyed being present. I began to know the various varieties, I listened to what worked and what didn’t. Flowers are life itself. Their shapes, forms and colors are absolutely exquisite. Flowers are reminders that life can be amazing and beautiful, and sometimes very short – we have to remember this.
Flowers have always been a part of my daily life, occasionally supermarket bought and sometimes dried.
Some of the oil paintings of flowers in this show are based on old paintings, rearranged a bit with new flowers or imaginary ones. Tulips are a sincere favorite – I borrow from photos of online tulip varieties since the unusual ones are too hard to find locally, especially in a pandemic. Parrot tulips are remarkably colorful and radiant. Tulips symbolize deep love and rebirth. They are one of the first to bloom in the spring. Victorians associated tulips with charity. Attributes in these times.