Gardenia | 6×6″ | oil on resin, gold leaf

We had a gardenia hedge running along the house in one of the houses I grew up in. The flowers were so tactile and velvety. And the scent is one of my favorites. I would pick one and stick it in the AC vent of my car when I was a teenager. Those memories feel hot and bitter to me now, but I still treasure them.

Each small flower in this ongoing series is my nod to the sacred, an echo of religious icons. In their fleeting existence, flowers are a reminder of the impermanence of life and importance of living in the present.

Gold, precious in its scarcity, mirrors the importance of the divine. It isn’t just a color; it’s an illumination, casting a glow that speaks of reverence and transcendence.

Size: 6″ x 6″ or 15.24cm x 15.24cm

Medium: Oil on canvas, gold metal leaf, resin

Series: Solarium

Year: 2023

Private Collection