The third of seven posts showing work from an active period in early 2021, when I was developing several series at once.
From Pressed Flowers to Painted Blossoms
In 2020 I began bringing old leaves and pressed flowers into my work. It started with bookmarks. Later I incorporated real leaves and blossoms into pictures; in this series, the blossoms are painted.
In the opening work, a single yellow blossom spreads beneath lines of Chinese calligraphy. Its dark centre breaks into rough, uneven strokes, while the yellow edges remain broad and rounded. The writing is smaller and more measured. Together they give the sheet two quite different rhythms.
An Earlier Work with Real Leaves
The work below still uses real leaves. Their curled edges and different shapes stand out against the horizontal brushwork. Some seem to hover in the pale upper part of the picture; others cross the darker area below. The wind is suggested by the space around them as much as by the painted strokes.
Two Further Blossom Studies
In these two paintings, yellow and black gather into petals and dark centres. On the left, two rounded forms sit apart on the white sheet. On the right, stems and a small bud make the forms more recognisably floral. Yet their irregular edges keep them close to a brush gesture. At what point does a mark become a blossom?
Related articles
Withered Leaves and Blossoms → Just Blossoms and Buds → Recent Work: Day 2/7 — Mao’s Slogan on an Old Invoice
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Explore Asian Art Essays for writing on Chinese painting, calligraphy, aesthetics and art history.
Available Artworks
Original works are available on FriedrichZettl.com and Saatchi Art
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