Windflowers 1912

Ruger Donoho made this painting called “Windflowers” with oil on canvas. The way he builds the image out of a mosaic of different colours feels so intuitive to me, like he’s letting the painting grow organically. The material aspect of the painting is so present; you can see how the paint is layered and textured. There’s a looseness, especially in the foreground, where individual brushstrokes dance together. Look at the way he captures the light filtering through the leaves, it’s as if each dab of paint holds a tiny piece of sunlight. The flowers themselves are built up through these dabs of varying whites and pinks. Donoho's painting makes me think of other artists who loved capturing the fleeting beauty of nature, like Monet. But where Monet was all about capturing the impression of a moment, Donoho seems more interested in the physicality of the paint itself. It’s a beautiful reminder that art is always a conversation, an exploration of ideas across time and between artists.