Gladioli

A dense sheaf of gladioli fills a slender glass vase set against a plain textured wall. Spikes of ivory-white, violet-blue and dark burgundy blossoms fan upward and outward, pointed buds and open petals overlapping in a loose vertical mass, while pale green stems anchor the base of the arrangement.

Thick impasto strokes build the wall in chalky greys and warm ochres, while the blossoms are laid in with confident, unblended dabs of pigment. Cool violets play against warm whites and deep reds, creating a lively rhythm across the canvas, and the heavy, tactile brushwork gives the still life an energetic, hand-worked immediacy.