The Pink Peony Story

Previously exhibited in:

"Art. A Matter of Process" February 18th to March 17th, 2023, The Gallery at Victoria Hall, 4626 Sherbrooke St W, Westmount, QC H3Z 1G1

"Beauty for Ashes" October 12-18th, 2021, at Galerie Erga, 6394 Boul. St Laurent, Montreal, Qc. H2S 3C4

This collection of paintings emerged a few years ago when I purchased a most exquisite bouquet of sanguine peonies. While the idea of a pink bouquet is not new, these glorious and bloomy specimens captured my imagination. It took hours to immortalize my bouquet in a digital archive; opportunities dissolve as the petals fade.  The plan began with a question...  how to bring these lavish objects to life as an idea or notion? Then, in 2019, I found a lovely venue to exhibit my new collection.  But things rarely occur as we expect and within a brief measure of time in 2020 everything we understood was turned upside down. The show was postponed a year, but the direction was clear and the idea crystallized in a heartbeat... because of it.

The central theme and title of this collection “Beauty for Ashes” was based on Isaiah 61:3.  Click here to find out more about the theme, title and ideas that are central to the creation of these artworks.  Rather than grumble about circumstances I created; to paint is a joy. The peonies and the colour pink provided the visual thread that unified the collection idea.

Most important, I wanted the works to be serene and healing, a sort of respite. For this reason a variety of pinks ... tints, tones and shadows were used. Hues were mixed to provide subtly nuanced tints and tones and create fluidity within each piece. This was also intended to connect pieces within the body of work, in a quiet but seductive way. It had to flow, to be simple. Using just one genus peony, but bunches and bunches of them, provided that. This idea, while appearing simple, was made up of very complex sub-ideas with beautiful shapes, impressions, values, movement and emotion.

An artist can take years to prepare a cohesive visual story. Now, on to the next phase, there’s a loose, more abstract feeling for the evolution of this concept. The two most recent artworks were painted in early 2023; my creative plan for 2024 will expand on this idea.

Myself and artist Tracey Steer, who creates miniatures. presented our works together in the duo exhibition,"Art. A Matter of Process" at The Gallery at Victoria Hall, Westmount, February/March 2023.

Selected artworks are for sale as indicated, accessories, decor etc. are not available to purchase and are for illustrative purposes only.

Take me back to the Peony Collection