Blossoms are Bigger than Barriers

So, how do the big flowers fit into the art I make?

My deep love of nature began early in my youth. I was ecstatic to see photos of rainforests and oceans, and learn about new plants and animals.

I was introduced to different kinds of anemones, sea urchins, plant life, and sea creatures, and spent hours drawing reefs, with my colored pencils, onto long rolls of paper.

That's me painting on the concrete jersey barriers in 2022.

Over the years, I spent more time learning about life on land and botanical medicinals. It wasn’t until years later that I truly started looking at the larger world of plants.

Fluid acrylic on a wood box

I spent part of my first college years studying botany and ecology and later, majored in visual arts and incorporated plants into my art.

The big take-away here is that the plant world is WAY bigger than any book can contain. It is bigger than any human made boundary or limitation we force upon it. The very nature of the plant kingdom is that it is inextricably linked to all the other known kingdoms on this planet. It cannot be contained in any man-made “container”.

Glass Placemat - Acrylic on repurposed tempered glass

Also, specifically flowers, have a way of being admired by many humans, despite geographical, political, or cultural differences. 

In the latest rendition of my giant flower images, I painted 2 concrete jersey barriers in our town of West Hartford. They are being used to extend restaurant dining into part of the street. Even on the long and low 40 foot concrete, blossoms are bigger than barriers.

That is the foundational theme.

Fluid acrylic on wood boxes

No matter what I am painting on, the flower blooms are way bigger than the object it is being painted on. The blooms are a representation of the plant kingdom in its integrated beauty and magnificence.

Greeting cards made with hand cut repurposed greeting cards

The awe that I feel in the presence of such an immense and ancient world is what I am looking to convey.

So, this is the connection to the rest of my work.