Island Garden—Tithonia and Cleome

I have been making ornamental gardens since the mid 1980s after seeing Monet’s garden at Giverny. That was a life-altering experience on many levels—opening my eyes to what ornamental horticulture could be. Over the years I have painted many floral landscapes of my gardens and they have always been hugely popular with my collectors. Creating a garden is making a living artform, and I take great pleasure in growing plants for my garden from seeds and cuttings when possible. This year, in  my greenhouse, I planted around seventy four varieties of flower seeds. This large canvas captures a scene from the garden last summer when it was burgeoning with Tithonia and Cleome I grew in the greenhouse. The painting is a symphony of green yet it does not feel like a green painting. Using brushes and palette knife, I layered on the buttery oil paints in luxurious marks of color that viewers have compared to cake icing. Molten Mexican sunflowers (Tithonia) create a tapestry with Cleome, Solanum, bananas, gingers, Cannas and Vitex. In the distance, a glimpse of the harbor and Whidbey Island landscape glow in the evening light.