Spring Flowers

The coming of spring brought, one after another, the latest floral arrivals. It was so exciting to see what showed up at the flower market, and I was inspired to document the development of the season via its flowers. I have old architecture stencils, with which I stenciled the titles.

Anemones are very common in early spring. Renunculous arrive fairly early in the year and have infinite colour variations.

The coming of fragrant, if ephemeral, sweet peas is always an exciting time. I put them in an antique chinese vase.

Fragrant lilacs made their effusive presence early this year of high temperatures. I was lucky to experience a bounty of them on a trip to Prague in early May.

The first of May is celebrated here in France with lily of the valley (muguet) given to the the women we love. I was attracted to the way this vendor sold the plant: with a tangle of roots bound up with moss. I contrasted the rawness of the presentation with a linen my great-great-grandmother had embroidered.

I had a board with panoramic dimensions, and had planned to cut it in half after I had painted the two different bouquets, but decided they looked nice together, representing the peak Spring season. Peonies show up for such a short time, which makes their wonderful fragrance and sensual appearance that much more precious. Dahlias grow all the way until fall, by contrast. These unusual specimens just cried out to be painted.

For me Hydrangea (Hortensia) evoke summers in New England, where the soft and generous globes adorn suburban lawns. Here in limestone-laden Provence, the chemistry of the soil turns the usual blue into pink.

Anemones: 28 x 24.75cm 400€

Renoncule: 20.7 x 30cm 400€

Muguet: 20.7 x 30cm 600€

Sweet Pea:28 x 24.75cm  450€

Lilas: 40 x 45cm  750€

Pivoine/Dahlia: 30.7 x 50cm 750€

Hortensia: 45 x 42cm 750€

Please contact me at dh@dianahoward.com for purchase of any of these. Thank you!