Mallows and roses 1958

Kateryna Bilokur made this vibrant painting of flowers with oil on canvas. The dark background really makes the pastel pinks and greens of the roses and mallows pop! I can only imagine what it was like for her to paint this. I mean, the act of painting flowers is itself so optimistic, a commitment to beauty, right? Maybe she was thinking about the temporality of life, the passing of time, and trying to capture a fleeting moment of beauty? Look at the details of the leaves, the texture of the petals! There’s so much tenderness, the colors feel so gentle. I think of Georgia O’Keefe who made those iconic magnified flowers. Here, the flowers and leaves fill the canvas, enveloping us in their delicate embrace. Painters, we're all looking and learning from each other. We have to embrace the ambiguity and the endless possibilities of paint!