Flowers that ROCK the art world ( and mine )

Design and InstallationGarden Caregarden TriviaIndoor plantsLighting and Irrigation
Written By Grahame Hubbard

Nothing is as beautiful as flowers,  it’s no wonder that they’ve attracted the attention of artists from the beginning of time. Beyond sheer beauty, flowers provide rich opportunities to play with color and form. The results can be found pretty much on any give day at museums around the world, and also in NYC at institutions like the Metropolitan Museum of Art or the MOMA.

If you are lucky you can even find them at one of the many galleries or even street vendors in New York .

Here are some of my favorites ( and I have a lot !) Georgia O'Keeffe once said " I'll paint it big, and they will be surprised into taking time to look at it " she wrote " I will make even busy New Yorkers take time to see what I see in flowers" .

Georgia O’Keefe

Does she not just totally blow you away ! To me, it makes me very happy to look at Georgia O'Keeffe's work - Mother nature would be proud.

All of us at Plant Specialists adore her work - but none of her pictures are available for me to show !

Gustav Klimt

On to another favorite of mine is Gustav Klimt was an Austrian symbolist painter of the most prominent members of the Vienna Secession movement. Klimt is most known for his primary subject - the female body such as The Lady in Gold. However check this out amazing field of flowers he painted.

Plant Specialists aspire to these terrific plant and color combinations

Yayoi Kusama

Born in 1929 - she is a Japanese contemporary artist ( and also guest landscape artist at The New York Botanical Garden this year - she also happens to be my 10 year old daughters favorite artist ) She has been acknowledged as one of the most important living artists to come out of Japan.

Yayoi Kusami - All of us at Plant Specialists adore her work - but none of her pictures are available for me to show !

Vincent van Gogh

He was a Dutch post impressionist painter who after he died ( isn't that always the way ) became one of the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art.

Oh Vincent how do you capture such beauty !

Amrosius Bosschaert the Elder

Amrosius was a Flemish born Dutch still life painter  born in 1573. He founded a dynasty of painters who continued his style of floral and fruit painting.

Ambrosius you a sheer genius ( I think I want to be called Ambrosius of  Plant Specialists ! )

Takashi Murakami

A Japanese contempory artist. He works in fine arts media as well as commercial media and is know for blurring the line between high and low arts.

What a happy bunch of flowers these little guys are !

Rachel Ruysch

She was a Dutch still life painter from the northern Netherlands, born in 1664. She became the best documented woman painter of the Dutch Golden age .

I mean seriously - is this not spectacular!

Natalie Dark

Now my kids ( and myself ) are seriously addicted to Natalie Dark. We found her on Instagram ( you should look her up as well - Instagram Nataliedarkart ). She does work with colored pencils that will seriously blow your mind. My girls pocket money goes into an account that we will eventually buy a piece from her.

I wish i could show you a picture of her work - but none of her pictures are available for me to show !

GREENING NEW YORK FOR OVER 53 YEARS !

Article written by Grahame Hubbard originally sometime during the Covid pandemic of 2020

All photographs used with permission @SHUTTERSTOCK  

Grahame Hubbard

Grahame was born in a small village in North Queensland, Australia. He grew up on a
fishing boat with his parents until the age of 12. He was educated via the "Outback School of the Air", a two-way radio-learning system.

Ironically, Grahame ended up amidst the hustle and bustle of New York City -- quite a contrast from the village of sixty people he was born in.
This change was brought about by his overwhelming desire to travel, his passion for experiencing the diversity of the world, and his desire to immerse himself in varying cultures.

After growing up on the sea, Grahame resided in New Zealand for ten years, Thailand for three seasons and then lived for a decade in Canada before making New York City home.

Coming from a gardening family of Orchid experts, Grahame has always been mesmerized by nature. He has a lifelong love of plants, gardens, garden design and all aspects of the horticultural arts and sciences.

Owner of Plant Specialists since 2004, he is proud to be involved with a team that have been Greening New York’s interiors and exteriors since 1972!

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