Florescence

Collector's Focus Florals & Botanicals

Introduction By John O’Hern

In the first century CE, the Greek botanist Pedanius Dioscorides created a book, De Materia Medica, identifying plants used for medicinal purposes. With the invention of the printing press in 1450, botanical books became popular and botanical illustrators were in demand.

In the 16th century, Flemish painters assembled flowers, fruits, food items and table settings into elaborate still life paintings. In the 17th century the still life genre became more elaborate, reflecting the growing wealth of the Netherlands.

Painting of florals and botanicals continues to bloom in the Netherlands and around the world. Galerie Lieve Hemel, Peonies, oil on canvas 10 x 14", by Wijnand Warendorf.

In 1996 I was able to visit the extraordinary Johannes Vermeer exhibition at the Mauritshuis in The Hague, which was the center of the Golden Age. I had missed the exhibition in Washington due to two government shutdowns. The Mauritshuis sits on the bank of the Hofvijver, a pond in the center of the city, the wonderful Dutch light reflecting off the water through the windows of the museum.

Wijnand Warendorf lives in The Hague where he was born and went to school. Rather than the panoply of luxury painted by his predecessors, Warendorf paints isolated tomatoes, strawberries and flowers in subtle light and extraordinary detail, the items set off against black backgrounds seen frequently in the still lifes of the Golden Age. He uses the modern elements of photography, working with depth of field and flash reflections. His gallery notes, “A slightly wrinkled skin of overripe fruit, the hairs on the twigs of the tomatoes, the dimples in the skin of tangerines, all those details fascinate Warendorf, force him to continue detailing, almost manically.”Somerville Manning Gallery, Bouquet with Cup, oil on panel, 16 x 12", by Carol Maguire

Tory Folliard Gallery, Papaver, watercolor on paper, 30 x 22", by Mary Alice Wimmer.

A bouquet is cast on a tabletop in his Peonies. From a bud to wilting leaves, it is the life story of the flower symbolizing prosperity, good fortune and honor.

Warendorf fills the small 10-by-14-inch oil painting with an abundance of detail. Mary Alice Wimmer’s spare watercolor still life, Papaver, spreads across a 30-by-22-inch format. The vibrant color and detail of the poppies stand out against the infinite depth of the background.Elizabeth Barlow, Some Flowers for Manet, oil on linen, 16 x 20"

The sinuous poppy stems arise from a Delft vase. Delft, a few miles from The Hague, has been the center for production of Delft Blue pottery since the 17th century. Wimmer’s use of the vase and her still life against a black background place her work in the tradition of Dutch portrait and still life painters.

She is professor emerita from University of Wisconsin colleges where she taught drawing, painting, printmaking (woodcut), art survey, women in the arts and renaissance art history.

Carol Maguire states, “I spent my early years in all sorts of creative pursuits. First as a quilter then as a professional doll maker, designing and creating art dolls.Kathy Anderson, Turquoise with Roses, oil on panle, 9 x 12"

I have designed furniture, children’s clothing and dinnerware for Wedgwood and Lenox China.” Today, she paints at her home near Philadelphia when she isn’t teaching workshops in Mexico, the Bahamas and Tuscany.

Her oil painting, Bouquet with Cup, is an example of her “always seeking the perfect balance of light and color. I am fascinated by the patterns created by the light...and driven to capture that moment in time.” Unlike the fine detail of the Dutch, Maguire creates the petals of the flower often with one single stroke of paint laid down thickly, expressing not only the beauty of the subject but the beauty of the medium she uses.Clockwise from top left: Elizabeth Barlow, Faded Beauty, oil on linen, 18 x 24"; Elizabeth Barlow, Kiss The Joy, Before It Flies, oil on linen, 28 x 16"; Nancy Balmert, Cloud Ballet Iris, oil on canvas, 38 x 36"; Nancy Balmert, First Prize Rose, oil on canvas, 20 x 24"; Rehs Contemporary, Go Tell the Bees, oil and gold leaf on panel, 22½ x 12", by Amanda Greive

Flowers and plants continue to spread their beauty throughout the pages of this special collector’s focus. Continue on to view more colorful, expressive florals and learn about the artists who create them.

The florals of Houston and Seattle-based artist Nancy Balmert, who follows in the style of the Old Masters, have made their imprint on the international art world. This spring, several of her large floral works will be featured at the Amsterdam Whitney International Fine Art Gallery in Chelsea, New York City. Curator Ruthie Tucker, who gave Balmert the nickname “The Queen of Flowers,” says, “Capturing bright hues of light and color with remarkable forcefulness…each flower emerges to become dynamic, expressive and electrifyingly lifelike.” Balmert has also won International Prize New York City and will be exhibiting there this March.Kathy Anderson, Lizianthus in Blue, oil on panel, 10 x 8"

Contemporary still life artist Elizabeth Barlow places her colorful flowers against white backgrounds, allowing them to truly shine. “Each painting in my Flora Portraits series is an evocation of a particular garden, gardener or flower,” she says. “In some instances, the blossoms and leaves are mementos of a unique place. In other paintings, they symbolize moments in someone’s life narrative. And always, they serve as visual reminders of the passage of time and the bittersweet impermanence of this life.” Amanda Ward, Ambitious Hope, acrylic on stretched canvas, 30 x 30"

Kathy Anderson has a deep love of nature, and often carries her paintbrushes and tools with her on her many travels. “Painting flowers is such a joy for me, a natural transition from working in my garden to translating that labor of love to my canvas. Flowers are a subject that give me the ability to be as free as I want, using all the amazing colors available to us as artists,” she says.

“I am especially inspired by flowers that I grow myself on my allotment—I love the immediacy of picking the flowers in the morning and taking them home to paint,” says landscape and still life painter Rosemary Lewis. Her oil Cosmos in a Glass Jar depicts a modest bouquet of the delicate flower. “These pale pink cosmos caught my eye, and I loved depicting the translucent delicacy of their petals. I prefer informal arrangements and felt the flowers needed nothing more than the simplicity of a glass jar to complement their fragile elegance,” she says of the piece.Clockwise from top left: Nancy Balmert, Melody Gypsy Dahlia, oil on canvas, 28 x 28"; F. Lisa Hannick, Dahlias in Imperial Teapot, oil on board, 18 x 18"; Sally Ruddy, Red Velvet Rose, oil on canvas, 8 x 10"; Rosemary Lewis, Cosmos in a Glass Jar, oil on panel, 7 x 9"; Lisa Hannick, White Moth Orchid, oil on gilded panel, 24 x 18"

Sally Ruddy imbues her work with thick brushstrokes and a heavily saturated color palette as she creates dreamlike visions of nature. The artist explains that her expressionist paintings symbolize nature’s juvenescence, and when viewed through the lens of her brushstrokes, reinvigorate our inherent love for the earth. Her paintings, she says, are rich dedications to the land itself, “basking in the graceful energy that comes forth, reminding us that nature is a source of sustenance and happiness, symbolizing the love for the world we all share.”Sally Ruddy, Rhododendron, oil on canvas, 11 x 14"

Vera Saiko, Angel’s Trumpets, oil on canvas, 24 x 36"

Amanda Ward’s acrylic paintings capture both flowers as well as vintage colored glass in her bright pieces. “It is through my love of vibrant color and enticing organic form that I re-create the magic of vintage colored glass. The beauty of this forgotten glass shouts volumes with its sensual shapes and spectacular detail offering a visual gift to the viewer,” she says of her work.

“Gloriosa, or flame lily, is my favorite flower. The name Gloriosa is from the Latin word ‘gloriosus’ meaning glorious,” says Toronto, Canada-based artist Vera Saiko of her oil Reflection. Flame Lilies. “There’s just something about extremely fragile, delicate flowers that touch my soul.”Vera Saiko, Reflection. Flame Lilies, oil on canvas, 40 x 40"

The oil paintings of F. Lisa Hannick are a modern representation of classical art. She works in numerous layers of paint, creating luminosity, and her fine attention to composition is evident in the solid foundation of each painting. “What matters most to me is the reaction and response from the audience. If what I am trying to express or convey is lost, then the painting falls short,” says Hannick. “It is paramount that my emotions are transferred through my work and to the viewer. My paintings are a study of my surroundings, whether landscape, still life or flowers. Even the most mundane object or location can be my inspiration, my impetus. My paintings are not literal copies of what I saw but expressions of how I felt and therefore responded. If my paintings cause someone to stop in their tracks, and gaze, and study and think—and it makes them feel good...well, what more can I ask.” —