Looking for new inspiration, I don’t have to go far. The first thing I see from my bedroom window are budding Irises with the blue mountains in the distance. Flowers are a source of inspiration because of the fragile beauty which wilts fast. It is much like fireworks, something that is almost impossible to capture. To capture flowers in the changing sunlight is a challenge many people do not wish to tackle.
Taking a photograph is not the same thing. It is exactly the movement itself which makes it fascinating to study. The subtle changes in color and intensity allows to see more depth in the flower and to understand its structure better than a two dimensional picture. The changes gives this sense of wonder. No photograph will ever do that. We humans underestimate the power of our own brain.
Inventing the I-phone is great, but inventing an Iris is beyond me.
I tried to capture the luminescence of the paper-thin blue petals in paint and show it to one of my students. By doing so, I realized it is impossible. As soon as I laid the light blue paint on the canvas, this luminescence disappeared. The paint is fat and opaque. I tried to make an underground of purple instead so I could leave some parts untouched and allow the daylight to reflect the razor thin layer of purple paint. It failed.
To study the flower however and to accept my limitations in re-creating something as beautiful as an Iris filled me with great joy. Have a look at my trials. The Iris, https://youtu.be/kuyVdCP_TaM?si=V5B9e61hWQyJmbsp
Here is a tour of my studio, https://vimeo.com/931512569?share=copy
Northlight studio’s, 357 Depot street, Asheville
