While many artists are known to garner inspiration from the natural world, how they translate it onto the canvas is manifold, offering unique perspectives, stories and interpretations. This is the case for Lily Pad Gallery West's grand showcase Nature’s Voice,where three artists approach the same subject—the natural world—but reveal its different dimensions in their own distinct style and approach.
Christopher Pierce, Sunflowers in Crimson Vase, oil, 30 x 24 in.
Julia Taylor, executive director at Lily Pad Gallery West, adds, “Christopher Groves invites you to stand beside him in the wilderness he’s known since childhood; Christopher Pierce transforms his garden into art that commands your attention; and H.M. Saffer II brings an entirely unexpected perspective, filtering the natural world through decades of cross-cultural experience from Paris cafés to Japanese ink studios. Together, they prove that nature isn’t just one voice—it’s a conversation, and these three artists are fluent in entirely different dialects.”
H.M. Saffer II, Forest Magic III, oil on canvas, 26 x 36 in.
For years, Groves has painted in a more traditional style, however, over the last several years, he has explored and pushed into a semi-abstract arena—giving new energy and life to his landscape pieces. “For this show, I wanted a variety of that early style as well as the present style to help indicate time and growth,” he says. “A few pieces have a combination of both traditional and abstract mark making, which begins to open up a whole world of new artistic avenues to explore.”
One of Groves’ show pieces, Your Tomorrow, is one of the pieces that emerged from this new exploration. The artist shares that he will often begin a painting by writing a poem to use as the main intention for the piece. “I wanted to place the viewer into ‘nature's timeframe,’ from past to present to future (your tomorrow), and let them have a dialogue together,” says Groves.
H.M. Saffer II, Harvest Patterns V, oil on canvas, 32 x 32 in.
For Pierce, nature is the “mother” of all he paints, especially since he works from life. “It offers more information than any artist could possibly express on canvas and therefore we must choose which parts of it to reveal and interpret,” he says.
An important aspect of Pierce’s work is composition, as in the case of his still life piece Chinese Lanterns with Fan—based mostly on convex arcs created by the fan, pumpkins and more. Sunflowers in Red Crimson is another of Pierce’s still lifes, with the scene showing sunflowers grown in the artist’s garden, and blooms captured at almost all stages of life and from various angles. “There are several varieties of sunflowers in the painting which all have individual personalities, and the leaves are lush and voluptuous when they are freshly picked.”
Christopher Groves, Your Tomorrow, oil on canvas, 36 x 48 in.
Saffer II, known for his interpretation of landscape pointillism with a Japanese influence, likes to imbue his paintings with emotion. About his show piece Forest Magic III, he shares, “the depth and silence of the forest inspired me to use those colors to convey those emotions. With Harvest Patterns V, the symmetry of the fields and the colors of the sky inspired me to create this work. My work is all about nature and the beauty that surrounds us each day. To be in harmony with oneself, one must be in harmony with nature.”
To view 60-plus additional works inspired by or depicting nature, visit Lily Pad Gallery West in Milwaukee now through January 2, 2026. —
Lily Pad Gallery West 215 N. Broadway • Milwaukee, WI 53202 • (414) 509-5756 • www.lilypadgallery.com
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