WHY DO PEOPLE PAINT FLOWERS? 



FRANK GALSWORTHY 



(One of whose paintings is reproduced on this month' s cover) 



Editors' Note: Flowers have meaning for Mr. Galsworthy; he respects them as individuals and takes pains to present them as such — Larkspur 

 to him is not just any old Larkspur, it is Delphinium belladonna, Moerheimei, or chinense, as the case may be, with graces and perhaps defects quite 

 distinctively its own which differentiate it from all other flowers and mark it as a definite personality. Mr. Galsworthy is fortunate too in being 

 unimpeded by theories of technique and is quite simply in clear-eyed fashion seeking to see the truth, and to convey it. Hence his strong appeal to 

 gardeners who are, first of all, growers and lovers of plants and — in the main — only secondarily critics and lovers of art. 



It seems a special bit of luck to get this candid personal statement of Mr. Galsworthy's views and convictions on flower painting and at the same 

 time be able to present "the proof of the pudding," as it were, in the characteristic example of his work appearing on the cover of this issue. Among 

 these friendly blooms our readers will recognize with pleasure a number of olden time garden favorites and possibly some newer ones as well — the Double 

 Poppies in particular seem worth remembering when plans for spring sowing are being made. As a matter of fact there are among the Peony-flowered 

 and Carnation-flowered types of Poppy many rather lovely shapes and shades not ordinarily found in our gardens which really merit a place. 



^HERE are many reasons why people turn their hand 

 to flower painting, and they do so with varied objects in 

 view. The results are frequently so unsatisfactory that 

 perhaps a few remarks on this subject will not be un- 

 interesting and may even prove instructive to those who are not 

 hidebound in their outlook upon the matter. 



It may be that a person thinks the subject an easy one for 

 producing something to hang on the walls of the home, another 

 may paint in order to perpetuate in the mind a flower which 

 has interested him, and a few may do so because they cannot re- 

 sist the desire to thus express their admiration for the wondrous 

 beauty which nature and horticulture bestow upon all who 

 choose to open their eyes and minds. 



There is one thing absolutely certain! It is a harmless 

 occupation and annoys no one — unless perhaps it be the artist 

 when he has a real failure. Unlike the practising of various 

 musical instruments which everyone must at some time or an- 

 other have suffered from — excruciating squeaks on a beginner's 

 fiddle, shrill sounds from an untrained voice or even a trained 

 one at times — and unlike the irritating repetition of a passage 

 exercising the fingers, an artist can at any rate annoy nobody 

 but himself! 



Putting aside the early efforts of youth whose ambition may 

 be to paint pretty Christmas and birthday cards and the 

 slap-dash style of work which tries to get an effect without the 

 use of thought, study, or brains, there are two or three methods 

 of flower painting which are constantly to be met with. 



The expert decorative designer has a sense of form and color, 

 so his work is of interest and of beauty when well carried out and 

 in its proper place. In using flower subjects for this purpose 

 it is not desirable to endeavor to obtain an exact representation 

 of nature; but an adaptation of form and color with a creative 

 faculty will achieve delightful results, and is to be commended 

 and encouraged. 



The desire to beautify the home and to be surrounded by the 

 memory of ephemeral blossoms of summer days is surely add- 

 ing to the joy of life in a world all too full of humdrum dullness. 



A design can be made from a flower and satisfactorily serve 

 its purpose of conventional decoration though it may only ex- 

 press the slightest resemblance to the object from which it is 

 drawn. 



An exactness and truth to nature is, however, absolutely 

 necessary for those who wish to illustrate books dealing with 

 botanical subjects, and no drawing can be too fine or too careful 

 with this object in view. 



TO MY thinking a flower painter should do more than 

 decorate and illustrate. He should combine true likeness 

 with creative purpose. A decorative design will not satisfy an 

 artist who is a gardener or who has some knowledge of plants, of 

 the growing of plants, and their radiant beauty — for he who 

 tends the growth of a garden sees so much more than one who 

 has no such occupation to enlighten him. His pictures therefore 

 express so much more than one who uses flowers only as bright 

 splashes of color. 



When one paints for the love of painting, for the love of the 



object to be represented, it is surely a higher and more satisfac- 

 tory reason than any other. It is then that an artist shows his 

 true capacity and becomes a creator as well as a recorder of 

 beauty. For sheer love of the thing he studies his subject and 

 in doing so discovers beauties never before noticed or suspected. 



A flower is a living thing, no mere piece of pottery, drapery, 

 or furniture; it is a growth of cells reflecting prismatic colors 

 ever scintillating with life and should therefore be treated 

 with the studious respect due to its subtle charm. 



At the commencement of flower painting it is essential to 

 learn to draw — this cannot be skimped ! When once mastered, 

 skill in drawing will become so easy that little, if any, pencil 

 work will be needed, just the faintest outline sometimes; then 

 the shadows which cannot be indicated in pencil and which 

 must depend upon the draughtmanship of the brush can be 

 executed with facility. 



Before starting a picture it is necessary to ponder well and to 

 be sure of the effect desired, and when once you have made up 

 your mind the original intention should never be lost sight of. 

 As the work proceeds one is liable to become confused and so 

 lose the general effect of a picture. Then boldness is necessary; 

 no hesitation when once you have determined what you want 

 the completed painting to look like. 



In using the medium of water color, no alteration or very little 

 is possible, for, unlike oil and tempera painting, a clean trans- 

 parency for flower petals is needed and this is one of the chief 

 charms of the use of water color. If sufficient boldness is used it 

 should not be necessary to enhance the original wash of color and 

 it should be borne in mind that a tint when dry is lighter than 

 when first put on. 



OF COURSE, much of this applies to all painting, but I 

 emphasize it here because so often flowers are not treated 

 seriously as beautiful living things worthy of an artist's best 

 study and his best work. If you don't feel a positive elation 

 and joy when looking at a flower you will never do it the justice 

 in your picture that it deserves, and your talent should be used 

 to portray a different subject. 



Some modern flower painting is curiously lacking in beauty 

 or interest and has little decorative effect. A conglomeration 

 of splashes of color deliberately put in to look like nothing 

 on earth may mean one of two things. First the "Artist" may 

 desire you to turn from an excess of beauty to unaccustomed 

 hideousness, he may think that the creation of ugliness is a 

 sort of necessary medicine for the mind, a swing of the pendulum 

 to the other side, and he may feel a call to stimulate the taste by 

 such means. I hold that it is impossible for a person who has 

 studied nature in an admiring spirit to be over satiated with 

 its beauty, you might as well say that if you are tired of the 

 scent of roses, you should take a walk round the gas works for 

 recreation ! 



Secondly — and I think this is frequently the case — the 

 "Artist" cannot draw and will not take the trouble to learn, so 

 he puts on canvas something so completely original that it will 

 draw attention to himself by "hook or by crook" — unworthy 

 object! 



