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For as long as I can remember I have been intrigued with the beauty, colours and incredible complexity of the natural world and in particular the world of flowers. The immediate and unabashed boldness of colours and shapes have the power of attracting me to record a visual reminder of their magic well after they are faded and gone. Because of the luscious vibrancy of colours and delicacy of the petals I have focused in on the detail, sensing the subtlety of difference. By zooming into the poppies, I can create a very abstract effect while still leaving enough realism to identify the flower. The poppy family (papaver orientale) has many variations of colours and tone from creamy whites to deep reds and a special favorite of mine is the Himalayan Blue Poppy. To show the boldness of the poppy and their dramatic colours, I have employed a technique of layering colours upon colours and creating a sheen with oil glazes, emphasizing the depth and inner light of the flowers. After many hours of putting paint to canvas, I realize that no matter how brilliant a colourist or skillful a technician, it is almost impossible to capture the magnificence and essence of nature. These objects of my admiration have urged me to look at the limitations of the tools at hand and forced me to realize that to convey such beauty to others, I needed to really immerse myself into the total environment of the subject. This meant spending many hours in the natural surroundings of the poppies, at different times of the day with different light and also in different conditions. By lucky defect, I experienced a host of sensual delights which I might otherwise have missed, the smell of the damp earth, cut grass, the sound of bees and birds, the glisten of dew drops on the petals and coming to the realization of how fortunate I am to be allowed to be part of this natural beauty. By painting with oil glazes in this
realistic genre, I am trying to hold the memory of the moment and
the happy feelings generated as I was contemplating these beautiful
flowers and their surroundings. My hope is that you will also experience
the same contented awareness as you view my work. Denise
Maxwell
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