A FLOWER STILL LIFE IS A CLASSIC challenge for any painter. Many great modern artists had recourse to this subject and produced some truly amazing work. It’s surprising that a great painting can be wrought from such banal subject matter. We know that flowers are conventionally beautiful but how do you make them interesting and engaging beyond that?
If I think of Bonnard, Suzanne Valadon, Cezanne or Matisse, I think it’s the way they create an essentially abstract painting that uses the flower subject matter as a starting point or a touchstone. Because there is no narrative content to a picture of flowers the artist can use paint to explore them as a purely visual vehicle for expression. That’s exactly what I have tried to do here.you to relax into a very free approach. Any mistakes or adjustments can be easily dealt with. This kind of painting is essentially abstract, so the colour, brushwork and design in the picture is part of the subject matter. How it’s made is what the painting is about as much as the beauty of the flowers. The results can be expressive or poetic but should reflect the sensation of looking and the enjoyment of the sheer visual excitement of any floral arrangement.
