Sally Painter has always had a special affinity to plants and an appreciation for the color, texture and detail of each species. Her oil and acrylic close-ups of blossoms, branches, and leaves reveal an eye intimately attuned to the fragility and living essence of everyday flora. Her palette is sun-drenched but not harsh, and her subjects enlivened but not anthropomorphized. Her artistic ancestors might be said to be the Romantic landscape painters, who saw emotion and narrative in the natural world without attempting to mold or tame it.
Painter’s petals seem to breathe on the canvas, brought to life by her layering of surface grains and careful choice of highlights, all the while inviting an almost disorienting familiarity with the flower subjects by using extremely tight framing. "I illuminate alternative perspectives," Painter says. She believes that her technique attracts you to look anew on familiar flowers and fauna and truly see the vibrant splendor they have to offer.