Flora 008 (Dowager’s bouquet)

Markel B Paint Stik and acrylic paints on BFK Rives printmaking paper

26 x 20 inches (portrait)

$60 - no frame, no mat

Inspiration:

The Flora series sprouted from a mistake: I wanted to get oversized oil paint sticks and instead opened my delivered materials to find Markal B Paint Stiks. Uses? According to their website, steel mills and warehouses, forge and casting foundries, ship building and repair, metal fabrication, tire repair and retreading, lumber and timber industry, and construction. 

And for me? Painting flowers. 

If you need something fancy to tell your friends once you have one of these beauties hanging on the wall, try this: The stylized flower representation combines tools of industry--construction-site marking paint and acrylic plastic--into something beautiful. The juxtaposition of these materials with nature-inspired, graphically arresting imagery force us to consider the effects our tools and practices have on the world around us. The obvious representation (vs. mimicry) allows us the freedom to wonder what we might do if we wake up one day and find all the real flowers gone. It is beautiful and arresting. 

I like the way they look. The pop of color against the jet black shapes draws the eye and lifts the heart. The composition rocks as well. Plus, the materials and methods enable me to keep these pieces affordable for people who want some damn art on their walls. 

You should buy one for you, and then buy one for a friend you love.

Color: $60

Black and white: $40