The Clower White
As February comes to an end, we see the blooms of the beautiful winter camellias coming to an end. It is always a welcome experience when these lovely flowers bloom and shine during the gray winter days. So as I look out and see the petals start to gather on the ground, I thought it would be a good time to show some of the paintings I have done of these blooms.
I was introduced to painting these flowers almost thirty years ago by an older gentleman friend. He was passionate about cultivating his own variety of camellias. Roger Spitz says, "Passion is naturally contagious." If you have ever seen something through the eyes of someone passionate about what they do, you will see it in a whole new light. A new way of seeing. I now see camellias from a passionate point of view.
A few years ago, I was asked to paint the first of the Clower camellias. Their granddaughter is a friend and she asked me to paint one of her grandfather's camellias. She wants to preserve her family's camellia heritage and commissioned me to paint the above painting, The Clower White. If you Google camellias you will see that Mr. and Mrs. T S Clower were passionate about camellias. You will find their name attached to many of the plants that are discussed under the subject. I feel this passion is still with each of the plants they cultivated, even though Mr. and Mrs. Clower are no longer with us. They shine on every time we pass one in beautiful bloom during this time of year.
So I share my passion of painting the beauty of nature, feeling that I caught some of that passion of the Clower's, and hope that it does them credit. This week, I will share the works I have done for different Clower family members. So for today, I give you The Clower White.