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Still Life Painting of the Week: “Raise the Flags”

Still life painting - Christine Mercer-Vernon, "Raise the Flags," mixed media, 24 x 24 in. — Christine Mercer-Vernon, "Raise the Flags," oil and graphite on ACM (aluminum composite material), 24 x 24 in.

Still Life Painting of the Week: “Raise the Flags”

By Christine Mercer-Vernon

As summer arrives, irises in my garden burst to life, drawing a variety of insects and bees to their colorful blooms. In just a few short weeks, giant flowers will alternate down each stalk, opening and dying off in a frantic display that ends as fast as it began.

Deeply inspired by my love of botanical illustration and fascination with the cycle of life, death, decay, and rebirth, I combined direct observation with harmonic symmetry to capture a time-lapse of the life cycle of these irises.

Beginning with a panel toned with a mixture of ultramarine blue and burnt umber, I worked into the wet paint adding markings, impressions, and circles from random objects and materials. Once dry, I overlaid tracing paper with a gridding system called the harmonic armature to use as a guide for placement.

Working from life, I constructed this painting one stem at a time relying on the armature to carefully place each stem, flower, and leaf. Over the course of two months I would watch the cut stems in the studio, as well as the ones growing outside, as they morphed into each new phase, periodically adding to the painting.

After the painting dried, insects and wildlife observed during the growing period were drawn in graphite onto the panel using the armature for placement. While adding a touch of whimsy, they also underscore the crucial role these creatures play in the ecosystem. Their gray appearance alludes to the environmental concerns they face, hinting at a world without them.

As artists, we usually plan and work toward our initial vision. However, I enjoy the challenge of not knowing the final painting. Watching flowers bloom, wilt, and die off offers opportunities to marvel at the transitions between these phases.

In observing the ever-changing cycles in nature and appreciating the role played by insects, I discovered a valuable lesson: to slow down, observe, and enjoy the perpetual cycle both in nature and in our own lives.