Magnificent Flora

Through expressive brushwork and vibrant color, Matt Ryder captures the many complexities of flowers

- Matt Ryder

Floral painting has such a rich and varied past, it's something that's been present throughout art history from the Renaissance painters to the impressionists. I often get asked what it is that draws me to paint flowers, and my answer is always the same: I don't know exactly, but I do know it's a lot of things all together. What is it about this subject that attracts me and so many others to paint it? Is it the beautiful color, the texture, the subtleties in values? Maybe it's the challenge, of which there are many when it comes to painting this difficult subject. Having explored many subjects in my time as a professional oil painter, the joy of setting up a still life or painting a selection of garden roses in bright sunlight is pretty hard to match, both in terms of the satisfaction it brings to see the flowers come together and the challenge that flowers present when painting them.

It gives me an opportunity to truly explore and push color, even changing my palette over time, adding in violets, pinks and cadmiums to focus more on the vibrancy that florals offer. The compositional possibilities are endless as are the textural elements that can be brought into a still life. It's a subject that can be painted for a lifetime with every painting offering something new. I paint from life and also from photos. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, and I have to say these days I enjoy painting both equally.