reflection of a bouquet series

"I’ve always been captivated by how masterful painters transform still lifes and floral arrangements into something transcendent. Artists like Eugène Delacroix, Édouard Manet, Claude Monet, Henri Matisse, and Pablo Picasso have all drawn inspiration from the beauty of flowers, turning them into dynamic, three-dimensional expressions on canvas.

Every year on Valentine’s Day, I have the privilege of painting a floral arrangement created by my good friend Bruce McShan and his team of talented florists. Using oil paint, I capture the vibrancy of the flowers on canvas before a live audience. The experience is nothing short of magical. One year, I was fortunate to create a particularly exceptional painting, which sparked the idea to develop a series. I explored multiple variations on that original composition, allowing each painting to evolve into its own unique expression, much like Monet’s series of haystacks or cathedrals, where he captured the shifting light throughout the day.

In each of these works, I remain true to the spirit of the first, while expanding upon it, allowing each piece to take on its own personality. Flowers, when rendered in oil, have a remarkable way of transcending their static form, becoming vibrant, living entities on the canvas."

— JD Miller