Katie Koenig, The Nature of Delicate Loss, acrylic on linen, 36 x 60 in.

Aron Belka painted Cone Forest, an atmospheric rendering of flowering echinacea, specifically for the show. “I chose echinacea (purple cone flowers) as my subject because I currently have those flowers in my own garden and I wanted to use the beautiful violets with a cool range of blues and greens,” says Belka. “When I was a child, I would love to be at ground level with flowers in the garden, and so my intent with this painting was to intimately immerse the viewer in this ‘forest’ of cone flowers.”

Patrick Kramer, The Garden of the Hesperides, oil on panel, 24 in.

In the nocturne The Nature of Delicate Losses, Katie Koenig shows a fawn with rose petals fluttering on the breeze and disappearing into the healthy rose bushes in the shadows. “The human experience is a theme I try to convey through my work,” says Koenig. “So many of the most pivotal and life changing events are also always occurring in nature. For this particular painting, I was inspired by the experience of loss. While sometimes heartbreaking, losing something, growing up, and evolving as a person can make room for beautiful things to occur. There is no better place to witness this cycle of loss and new growth than in the garden.”

Karen Ann Paavola, Succulent Garden II, oil on panel, 24 in.

Figurative pieces also have a place in the show, including works like Pitts’ The White Tulip, which was inspired by the light coming through a high window in his apartment and created for this particular show. “One day I noticed my wife standing in this beam of late afternoon light and knew that I had to paint it,” he says, adding that he focuses less on a show’s theme and more on the abstract concepts that really interest him as an artist. “Things like, composition, light quality, rhythm and the subtle shifting of tones,” he says. “For example, in The White Tulip I was very interested in the delicate color relationships of the composition, the soft gradient behind the figure and the contemplative mood of the scene.” 

Aron Belka, Cone Forest, oil on panel, 24 x 24 in.

There are also tondo paintings in the show, including Succulent Garden II, a highly realistic aerial view of hands planting succulents in a pot by Karen Ann Paavola; and a piece that combines an orchid still life with a masterwork from the late-19th century by Patrick Kramer. “The title of the piece, The Garden of the Hesperides, refers to the painting in the background of the same name by Frederic Leighton,” explains Kramer. “According to Greek mythology, the Hesperides were beautiful nymphs who guarded the golden apples in the orchards of Hera, accompanied by the serpent Ladon. I felt the Leighton piece would pair well with an orchid, as the serpentine shape and snakelike faces of the flowers echo the coiled creature in the background. 

Claudia Tullos-Leonard, Chasing the Light, oil on canvas, 30 x 40 in.

“I love the serene, languid atmosphere in Leighton’s original, and hope some of that persists in my composition,” he continues. “However, I find the most peaceful scenes need a little contrast, so I’ve included a bit of destruction to provide some tension and uncertainty in the background.”

Dakota Pitts, The White Tulip, oil on panel, 16 x 12 in.

Gallerist Robert Lange notes, “Curated with an eye for both beauty and surprise, From the Garden brings together a diverse roster of painters—traditionalists and experimenters alike—who were each tasked with creating garden-themed work. The result is an evocative mix of styles, from classical still lifes to narrative figurative pieces and surreal interpretations that push the boundaries of what ‘garden art’ can mean.”