Art in Bloom - Springtime in Art
“I have nature and art and poetry, and if that is not enough, what is enough?”
~ Vincent van Gogh
For British landscape artists, one of the joys of painting our countryside is documenting our changing seasons. This time of year, watching nature spring back into life after the chill of winter provides new inspiration and motivation to create!
“Flora” designates plant life but it was also the Roman goddess of animals, wildlife and fertility and as a female figure, she was the subject of early paintings depicting Spring. From the 19th Century, artists such as Van Gogh and Monet focused on flowers and trees and we began to see paintings without any human presence, placing nature at the centre their artwork.
The natural world and our relationship to it, provides endless inspiration, even for contemporary artists and here we shine a spotlight on three leading painters from our portfolio.
Paul Evans
Suffolk based Paul Evans focuses on the big skies and gentle landscape of his local countryside, recording the changing light, weather and seasons from frosted fields to hot summer meadows with stunning results. Paul is particularly renowned for painting bluebell forests, something that is an annual treat for many of us here in our home county of Northamptonshire.
Mary Shaw
Mary Shaw is a talented and entirely self-taught artist, completing her first commission at the age of just thirteen. After developing a strong affection for the countryside, she became interested in rare and endangered species found amongst England’s hedgerows and they often feature in her work. Mary’s art has a delicate touch, often embellished with touches of sparkle added to the flowers bringing a sense of light to her paintings.
Kay Davenport
Kay Davenport is a botanical artist who begins by photographing flowers at different stages of their life cycle, from a perfectly formed bud to a windblown bloom that has lost its petals – everything has beauty and tells its own story in her eyes. Kay places her floral subject as the hero of her pieces, set against a strong coloured background.
Enjoy more inspiration from landscape and nature artists in our curated collection here.
