I recently finished an intensive art course called the Creative Visionary Program run by the American artist Nicholas Wilton. It was inspirational and overwhelming at the same time, with so much information to take in and digest. One of the main things I learned from the course was how to create effective design within a painting and already I am seeing the benefits in my larger work. Being authentic and developing my own style is something I'm also working on, although I think this one could take me a lifetime!
At present, I'm exploring flowers and botanical forms in a loose, abstract way, with a focus on white flowers. White flowers have always been my favourite, I love how their petals reflect subtle shifts in tone and colour. The symbolic nature of these flowers is something that I'm researching at the moment and hoping to use in my work, starting with Purity above.
When I was studying Art History in London I remember seeing a wonderful painting with white flowers in the Tate Britain Gallery; The Annunciation by Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Here, white lilies are used to symbolise purity and innocence. Whilst doing some research this week I came across the most beautiful painting with the same name by Arthur Hacker, also in Tate Britain. I'm attaching a link to this painting at the bottom of this blog: the depiction of the white lily within a loosely painted background is mesmerising.
My recent painting 'Purity' 40cm x 40cm.
Click the link below to see the painting by Hacker in the Tate Britain.