James Brown
“Moth
Orchids”, 2022
Oil on canvas
Size: 50.5 x 61
cm
Although the
idea of painting flowers was not unusual for me, as I have painted many in the
past, the choice to paint these particular flowers—Phalaenopsis (aka “moth
orchids”)—was driven by a strong memory of seeing them in a closed florist shop
during an evening stroll. They were displayed on a stand at the back of the darkened
shop, but stood out from the darkness by the brilliance of their white flowers.
If the flowers were “properly” lit they may not have caught my eye, but the way
that they glowed in the half-light of the shop left a strong impression on me.
In retrospect, the common name of the flowers, “moth orchids”, seems very appropriate
for how they looked in the dim light.
By intention,
the hatched strokes used in the flowers’ background was my way of suggesting
the softness of the light as well as the lack of clarity in how I saw the
flowers at the time.
