AFTER INGRID

In March of 2020 I had my first show at Collier West with floral paintings focused on works by the Flemish painter Rachel Ruysch. Shortly after the opening, which I’m happy to say did not gain super-spreader status, the gallery had to close for quarantine. I had been thinking about continuing with floral painting and working from life and photography and reached out to Ingrid Carozzi of Tin Can Studios. I had seen Ingrid’s amazing florals at Frieze Art Fair in May of 2019 where she surrounded the Foul Witch Restaurant with exotic and almost creepy bouquets. I had already started painting from Rachel Ruysch’s paintings and Ingrid’s florals had a similar gothic lushness that I rarely see in contemporary floral arrangements. I did a bit of research and found she had a wealth of gorgeous images on Instagram and after attaining her blessing, my quarantine - forgive me - blossomed.

One of the elements I enjoyed while painting the Rachel Ruysch paintings was the collaborative feeling of working with and celebrating another woman artist. I have the utmost respect for Ingrid’s work, and consider her a master of the art. Though there have been plenty of jokes about my opening a “Bouquet Flower Shop”, it has never been a particular talent or inclination of my own (and it’s ironic enough to be painting florals). I also want to bring attention to her business, especially in these difficult times for the event-based industries. I strongly believe in the importance of mutual support in the art world, especially amongst women artists and I intend this collaboration to be a warm show of appreciation. I ultimately hope my paintings have a similar effect on the viewer as her floral arrangements and encourage feelings of positivity, abundance and enjoyment of natural beauty.