Exuberant, Ephemeral

Peonies arrive each spring in an exuberant display of soft, highly scented blooms—here and gone in a few short weeks. Ephemeral. These rose peonies bloom and drop their petals in a matter of days, a tribute to the fleeting and fragile beauty of nature.

Painted from life, one stem at a time, I was acutely aware of the urgency each flower had to fully blossom, then quickly fade and go to seed. Even the bachelor buttons pressed on—quickly morphing from bud to bloom—forcing me to chase their energetic display.

While painting, bees visited the flowers outside my studio window and I observed them diligently pollinating each flower. Contemplating the delicate balance between bees and flowers, I tried to imagine a world without either. I chose to include them in graphite, as if in spirit, as a testament to the fragility of our ecosystem.