Why I Need Flowers (And You Do Too)

“Torch,”  Oil on Linen, 20 x 20”
(Private Collection)

“When I am among the trees….they give off such hints of gladness. I would almost say that they save me, and daily.”

Mary Oliver
(Excerpt from “When I Am Among The Trees”)

When I lived in San Francisco, I was exhilarated by my vibrant urban life. My still life paintings, were of people’s belongings – shoes, books, clothing –  and I called them “portraits in absentia.”  But when my husband and I moved to Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, my paintings soon changed. Now, I was surrounded by misty ocean air, twisting cypresses and year-round blossoms, and I found myself longing to paint flowers. For the past seven years, I’ve devoted myself entirely to painting these gorgeous emblems of beauty, hope and renewal.

What has amazed me is the response I’ve had to my “flora portraits.”  I suppose on some level, I expected these paintings to find a somewhat“niche” audience.  But this is the astonishing thing:  the collectors who buy my flower paintings are men, women, physicians, high tech consultants, event planners, lawyers and landscape designers. Few are gardeners or “plant” people.

I understand now why people are moved by my paintings of roses, anemones, dahlias and sunflowers. When you live with a painting of an iris and peony, in the full glory of their beauty, you have a daily reminder – on a wall of your home – of the wonder and power of nature. Studies show that a walk in the woods, gazing at a sunset, or looking at a nature-inspired painting, can induce feelings of calm and relaxation. And so, a painting of three yellow tulips, dancing on their graceful stems, reminds us to pause and reawaken to the marvels of the natural world – and of our place within it.

The great poet Mary Oliver expressed it beautifully:

“Around me the trees stir in their leaves

and call out, “Stay awhile.”

The light flows from their branches.

And they call again, “It’s simple, they say,

“and you too have come

into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled

with light, and to shine.”

Mary Oliver
(Excerpt from “When I Am Among The Trees”)

“Exult,”  Oil on Linen, 24 x 36”
(Private Collection)

The garden outside my studio.