Flowers and foliage provide rich opportunities for the study of color, shape, form, and light.
Painting them “en plein air” is an immersive endeavor that presents its own set of challenges
and pleasures. The ever-changing nature of living subjects, represented in their outdoor setting,
requires and enables a surrender of control. Fleeting light, transient weather, and moving
components confuse the painting process. Collected observations become memories the
moment they are depicted, and quick decisions must be made as to what stays and what is
sacrificed. The direction of the image is unpredictable, and the painting emerges as a layered
document of both subject and experience.
