April Showers Bring May Flowers
You see them sitting on desks or on mantles, or as centerpieces on grand tables. Some people give them as much care and comfort as their own children. They cost as little or as much as you care to pay for them. And finally they are they are available in their own specialty stores, or you can find them in the wild.
What is that I’m describing?
Need one more clue? Ok - how about this — members of our fairer sex utilize them as ornaments for the chest.
That’s right, we are talking about flowers!
Just like people, they come in all shapes, sizes, and with every color under the sun. The live in hot-houses, people buy them as gifts and symbols of love, and artists all over the world portray them on canvases. They are studied by botanists and sold by florists. They are a part of the work of landscapers as well as interior decorators or designers. In short, a world without flowers would be drab and colorless. Rather than look at pictures of flowers like the one above, we thought you might enjoy some of the best paintings of nature’s medallions.
Let’s have a look at some rather special examples of floral art. First (above) we have Path to the White Garden by Joanna Rea. Filled with colors, there’s no optic center to capture your eyes. Instead the path bifurcates horizontally creating quadrants for your eyes to look at separately. Most impressive. On a smaller scale (below) but actually far more detailed is Lady For A Day by Linda Hobley, an artist fascinated by light. “Light transforms, brings out the true essence of Nature’s creations.”
I think Hobley’s work is superb. The morning dew is all but gone but she has offered more than a hint of the moisture. Your own mind does the rest. Below is Hobley’s Fall’s Last Fling, a masterful creation.
Callalillies (above) is by John Powell, an artist who is the son of a prominent California artist. Young John watched his father paint, and was given his own paints and canvases as a youngster; looks like he learned his lessons well. Below is Glorious Path by Greg Singley, and is homage to the Impressionist Master, Monet. Look at Singley’s passionate use of colors; instinctive yet noble.
Gardens and Lillies (above) is by Tom DeDecker who has said, “…the artist must not only portray what one sees, but should also include a mood, a feeling for the scene, to create an atmosphere.” In this painting you can feel the sun’s warmth on a fine spring day.
Spring Bouquet (above) is also by Tom DeDecker is also superb. The color of the pool in the foreground is a rich blue that commands your attention. In Summer Memories (below) the first of a pair by Bogomir Bogdanovic, we are caught up in the circle of nature, as our eyes are subtly directed by the artist’s patterned choice of the colors.
Summer Memories II (above) continues in the same style, but we are sent a subtle triangular shape of the flowers, but within, the quadruple verticals of the stems commands notice.
Beyond the Fence (above) is by Jan Shepherd-Bain. This work is far more impressionistic than the other works displayed here. Doesn’t the varied color palette, as well as the broad brush strokes, make us utilize much more of our imagination to enjoy the painting? Our next floral art (below) is called Wheat Fields, and is by Gerhard Nesbadva. The artist uses an intriguing technique: the lower half of the painting is all horizontal color, while the upper half has mostly vertical visual directors.
We will close with one more by the illustrious Linda Hobley. Even the title is magnificent. Hobley calls this one Symphony in Yellow and Green (below) and I think it is just breath-taking.
And so ends our walk in nature’s beauty, as seen by these varied and different artistic styles. Each painter paints to his own interpretation and his own inspiration. For another look at some of nature’s handiwork, in the form divine, please stop by when you can. From many lands and many places, our models this month are sublime, and we are fortunate that these flowers can be with us with or without a gentle spring rain.
Originally published in Also On Video for the April 2005 edition, this column has been updated for JustMeMike’s New Also on Video on April 3rd, 2007.