Gerard de Nerval (daffodils)

Mixed media and gold leaf on canvas.
24 x 30

Beginning in the early months of COVID, when we were filling our time with walks and our environment was starting to heal, I have explored a series of nature/floral paintings. They juxtapose my love of precise line work against dreamy, abstract washes of paint.

While an individual flower may be fragile and short-lived, the natural world as a whole is infallibly cyclical. Humankind has damaged the earth, but we have not yet managed to stamp out the coming of spring flowers each year - a comfort during these tumultuous times, filled with worry over climate change. Seasonal flowers remind us to celebrate life’s beauty and transience while we can.

I’ve always had a passion for reading, and my paintings frequently incorporate tiny handwriting hidden within the images, as a reward for those viewers who look closely. So in this series, if you look closely you’ll find relevant nature factoids and/or quotes from famous poets about springtime. The title of each piece is the poet who I have quoted.