Have you watched flowers dance?

Painting a fresh bouquet of flowers is like watching a ballet in slow motion.

“I paint flowers, so they will not die.” – Frida Kahlo

Over the last couple of days, I’ve been working from a fresh bouquet of flowers. The studio smells like spring. When I walk in, I’m greeted by the smell of flowers instead of paint and my time in the studio seems to fly by. Throughout the day, the stems and petals of each flower, slowly migrate and shift. The blossoms open, close, and eventually, the petals will begin to fall.

Like so many of my experiences with beauty, these flowers come with their own set of expectations. They need to be seen and appreciated. Flowers are a direct channel for the muse. They come with everything inspiration requires.

I start by looking for the big shapes. Large blocks of contrast are formed when the dark leaves and stems meet up with the light pink and white petals. Giving each flower, a place in the composition, gives me some idea of the design. And now, the dance begins.

Spring in the studio smells like flowers.

Have you ever looked at a white flower? How do you paint it? It’s… white. In order to show the turn of its form, and subtly of its petals we have to slow way down. There is a shadow side and a light side. In truth, only the hottest highlights are actually white. You begin to see bits of cool. Blues, neutralized greens, and hints of lavender are resting in the shadows. Some of the interior petals glow with pink, creamy orange, or yellow. The paint on the palette is mixed to match and then tested on the panel only to discover that it’s too dark or not quite dark enough. The color is too brilliant, or too dull. Back to mixing. Back to looking.

This is a different kind of relationship to seeing. It’s a meditation on beauty. I have never appreciated a flower more than when I am painting one. They seem to breathe, and move. They are moving. Just slowly. But they won’t be here forever. And I need to paint them.

How much time do you spend looking?

What color is a white flower?

Have you watched flowers dance?