ROSIE SANDERS: FLOWERS

ROSIE SANDERS

JONATHAN COOPER 20 Park Walk London SW10 0AQ t: +44 (0)20 7351 0410 mail@jonathancooper.co.uk jonathancooper.co.uk ROSIE SANDERS flowers

I started collecting Tree Peonies about fifteen years ago. My garden is not very large and I probably don’t give these gorgeous shrubs quite the growing conditions they prefer in order to thrive, but they grow and they flower and that is sufficient for me. I enjoy their large extravagant blooms for a short while in April and May and admire their beautiful leaves for longer.

I did make a painting of one of these flowers some years ago and it suddenly came to me in the early part of this year that I would really like to concentrate on these flowers and build up my collection a bit more. I have acquired five more plants this year which I hope will produce some flowers next year and I intend to do a further series of paintings. The small collection of paintings I have made for this exhibition will I hope be the introduction to many more.

The Tree Peony originated in China where I understand it can still be found growing wild in very remote areas. The flowers appear in all forms of Chinese art and have done for almost 1800 years so it is an essential element of their cultural history. I believe it was originally brought to Europe sometime in the seventeenth century.

The other flower that has been a favourite of mine almost since I began painting is of course the Iris. To me it symbolises strength, femininity, desire and fragility all put together in one wonderful creation. I love the intense colours with their hidden depths and contrasting patterns - an absolute joy for a painter.

Lastly I couldn’t imagine a series of paintings without including a few wild flowers. Those unassuming, often overlooked wonders of nature that on closer examination hold all the beauty, depth and elegance of any cultivated equivalent.

Rosie Sanders, 2023