A watercolor where translucency, twisting forms, and shifting light create a dialogue between plant, cloth, and chair
In Amaryllis Flower & Chair (1990) the gifted amaryllis — already the subject of several watercolors — becomes a study in how translucent petals and firm green leaves respond to light in ways that watercolor uniquely captures. For me, watercolor was the medium that could most faithfully express the glow within the petals, the cool firmness of the leaves, and the subtle, shifting illumination that moves through both.
Here, the amaryllis is not alone. The whimsical folds of hanging cloth introduce a second presence, a kind of material companion to the plant. Draped over the mostly hidden arm of a chair, the cloth behaves almost like another organic form: twisting, turning, revealing its backside on the left in the same way the flower petals reveal their own inner surfaces. That mirroring — cloth turning, petals turning — creates a quiet structural rhyme.
The small, exposed section of darker chair upholstery on the right deepens the spatial field. Its darkness resonates with the deep shadows gathered at the base of the plant, tying the composition together tonally. It also anchors the scene, preventing the delicacy of the petals and cloth from floating away into pure light.
The flower rising above the top edge is a deliberate choice, much like the clipped tops in Dark & Light Mugs and the cruet in Orange & Cruet. It signals that the drama isn’t confined to the rectangle — the energy of the twisting forms, the interplay of light and shadow, and the upward thrust of the bloom all exceed the frame.
This painting becomes a conversation between:
the translucent and the opaque,
the organic and the fabricated,
the vertical lift of the flower and the soft drape of the cloth,
the light‑struck petals and the deep, grounding shadows.
It is a watercolor that holds both delicacy and structure, both intimacy and theatricality.
Dimensions: 22″ × 30″
Medium: Watercolor
A watercolor where translucency, twisting forms, and shifting light create a dialogue between plant, cloth, and chair
In Amaryllis Flower & Chair (1990) the gifted amaryllis — already the subject of several watercolors — becomes a study in how translucent petals and firm green leaves respond to light in ways that watercolor uniquely captures. For me, watercolor was the medium that could most faithfully express the glow within the petals, the cool firmness of the leaves, and the subtle, shifting illumination that moves through both.
Here, the amaryllis is not alone. The whimsical folds of hanging cloth introduce a second presence, a kind of material companion to the plant. Draped over the mostly hidden arm of a chair, the cloth behaves almost like another organic form: twisting, turning, revealing its backside on the left in the same way the flower petals reveal their own inner surfaces. That mirroring — cloth turning, petals turning — creates a quiet structural rhyme.
The small, exposed section of darker chair upholstery on the right deepens the spatial field. Its darkness resonates with the deep shadows gathered at the base of the plant, tying the composition together tonally. It also anchors the scene, preventing the delicacy of the petals and cloth from floating away into pure light.
The flower rising above the top edge is a deliberate choice, much like the clipped tops in Dark & Light Mugs and the cruet in Orange & Cruet. It signals that the drama isn’t confined to the rectangle — the energy of the twisting forms, the interplay of light and shadow, and the upward thrust of the bloom all exceed the frame.
This painting becomes a conversation between:
the translucent and the opaque,
the organic and the fabricated,
the vertical lift of the flower and the soft drape of the cloth,
the light‑struck petals and the deep, grounding shadows.
It is a watercolor that holds both delicacy and structure, both intimacy and theatricality.
Dimensions: 22″ × 30″
Medium: Watercolor
Matted with quality materials and mounted under glass in an all wood frame - hanging hardware included.
