Flowers represent life, it’s passions and beauty. In a world in which so much is dehumanized and cynical, I seek to find the relationships of beauty in the organic world. Utilizing watercolor techniques I paint flowers often centered against the hard city environment, a metaphor for human expression and resilience.
The spontaneity of watercolor captures the “moment”, for as in live performance, it is that moment of putting brush on paper that counts. In watercolor there are seldom second chances. For that reason I often create multiples of a painting, learning from each. This gathering of knowledge and understanding is one of the most exciting parts of my process.
Flowers that flourish within an urban context exemplify the human need for nature and beauty in a hard space. A flower looking down on a darkened city street, budding magnolias against the hard stone of a building; a sunflower living in a city plot – each shows juxtaposition and paradox; lyricism against rigidity, warmth against cold.
In my narrative portraits of people I seek to capture an instant that personifies the individual and a moment of his/her life, often as part of a relationship. That moment of expression is an intimate statement. A likeness is only a part of us. The rest is soul.