Coronal Bloom 2021

Lanise Howard's 'Coronal Bloom' shimmers on the canvas with cool blues and greens, punctuated by the pinks of budding lotus flowers. I can imagine Lanise starting with that watery background, layering thin washes to conjure the stillness of a pond at dawn. The lotus leaves are these huge, verdant fans, each vein carefully articulated, suggesting a kind of meditative precision. Did she begin with close observation, then allow herself to drift into a space of intuitive mark-making? I am thinking about Georgia O'Keeffe and how she also zoomed in to the center of the flower. There’s a touch of folk art in its directness too. The sun, a simple orb in the upper corner, casts a gentle light, unifying the composition. It reminds us that painting, in essence, is about seeing and feeling. Each brushstroke a testament to the artist’s presence, a conversation between eye, hand, and heart.