“Now I’ve got the black velvet out again, there is no stopping me. Dark and moody just seems to fit the times perfectly. 17th century #dutchmaster paintings were dripping with symbolism as that generation grappled with existential questions of life and death. I’ve always marvelled at the incredible floral confections and only recently realised that they were like modern day photoshop in that the artist would paint a particular flower when it was in season and then fill in other flowers later on as they came into bloom. In other words they were sort of floral collages mixing up the seasons to suit the composition.
It takes a long time to paint meticulously in oils so I imagined the dutch artists had canvases lined up in their studios that they worked on in rotation. I imagine clients could view half finished works and even have a conversation about which flowers would be placed where.
The blooms I’ve used in this arrangement were picked over two weeks ago. In our topsy turvy times adjusting to our new normal is a bit challenging but I’m finding that mature flowers are perfect fo this kind of composition. I’m loving the beauty of their unfurled petals and I’m keeping them going as long as I can. I’ve even started trying to dry them whole on the stem. Experimenting, this is the perfect time........“
