Petunia 1925

Here is a luscious petunia, painted by Georgia O’Keeffe, with what looks like oil on canvas. I can imagine O’Keeffe up close to this flower, really close, in a deep dive. A bit like when I’m painting: she must have seen something that others didn't. I like the way that the color bleeds out from the centre and she focuses on the edges, building up a sense of volume. There's so much tension between the soft purple of the petals and the almost bruised looking indigos. And then these small white tips! You can really see the influence of photography in this painting. It’s like a close-up, but not quite. It’s also like she’s saying, hey, flowers can be powerful too. It's great how she pushes the boundaries of what painting can be, showing us new ways of seeing and feeling.