Mary's Art Starts in the Garden
Awakenings in the Garden: An Artist's Journey
July 2024
July 2024
My garden has been the inspiration behind my art for decades, but studying horticulture introduced me to an entirely new understanding of the garden. Studying the science behind this living environment at my doorstep was — and continues to be — a source of endless investigation. It’s not only a garden’s beauty that attracts me. It’s the sustainability, the interaction, and the reliability that this vast array of life forms continually creates a mutually dependent whole. It’s because of this deep study of my garden that my art has changed. As I’ve grown more aware of the complexity of the garden that I’ve designed and tended for over 35 years, my art has changed, too, by becoming more expressive, less realistic, and more multilayered.
I became aware of how I was being transformed, not only by having more technical knowledge through my studies in horticulture, but by being immersed in my garden’s environment. I stood there one day, my clothes and hands covered in dirt, scratched and bug bitten, when a wave of quiet contentment entered my very being. Yes, I was exhausted, and my body was aching from the hours of hard physical labor, but something different was flowing through my mind. It was a sense of awakening. I felt it, but I was not able to articulate clearly what I felt. I still don’t have the words completely to express this transformation. So, I have been trying to do so through my art.
I became aware of how I was being transformed, not only by having more technical knowledge through my studies in horticulture, but by being immersed in my garden’s environment. I stood there one day, my clothes and hands covered in dirt, scratched and bug bitten, when a wave of quiet contentment entered my very being. Yes, I was exhausted, and my body was aching from the hours of hard physical labor, but something different was flowing through my mind. It was a sense of awakening. I felt it, but I was not able to articulate clearly what I felt. I still don’t have the words completely to express this transformation. So, I have been trying to do so through my art.
Mary in Her Studio Working on Phaelanopsis Orchid (December 2020)
Photo Courtesy: Mary Ahern
Photo Courtesy: Mary Ahern
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I’ve spent years studying and working in my garden. I have dug deeper into the metaphor the garden has represented to me about all living beings. It has taught me that in order to survive, the building of communities is needed to create a harmonic, healthy balance. The garden speaks to me of survival. I watch hummingbirds, with their long beaks, attracted to the long tubular flowers of the Salvias. I smell the late day fragrance of the Brugmansia as it seduces night pollinators less exhausted from a day’s work to help the lifecycle. Each insect, each flower, each fungus is only trying to survive for another season, another year, another generation. We as humans, like the complexities found in the garden, are also trying to survive and prosper. My large, centrally focused flower paintings have been inspired by the imagery I saw through the microscopes used during my scientific studies in horticulture. The bold colors and large-sized paintings were my way of grabbing the attention of the viewer just as the stunning presentation of a bold peony blossom calls out for attention. The education I am receiving from the garden has been changing me over time. My artwork reflects my deepening thoughts, abstract concepts, and my openness to explore new ideas and deeper theories of the world surrounding us. |
Phaelanopsis Orchid (A Work in Progress, December 2020)
© Mary Ahern |
During COVID, another revelation presented itself to me. I began to look at the imagery posted online by NASA showing us the galaxy of which we are but a small part. I realized that the entire universe also depended upon that harmony and balance all of us, the garden included, must have in order to exist. This awareness of the delicacy of both the microcosm and the macrocosm of our worlds is what I am now trying to express in my artwork. Blending abstractions inspired by the cosmos transparently through the realistic flowers grown in my garden informs the current work in my studio.
The awareness of the multi-layered reliance on other forces to survive is humbling. This new awareness has deepened my gratitude. This is what I am now attempting to create in my studio.
The awareness of the multi-layered reliance on other forces to survive is humbling. This new awareness has deepened my gratitude. This is what I am now attempting to create in my studio.
Cosmic Phaelanopsis (January 2023)
Oil ~ 24 x 24 inches
© Mary Ahern
Oil ~ 24 x 24 inches
© Mary Ahern
Note: "Cosmic Phaelanopsis" is the final work after Mary put the piece aside due to being dissatisfied with its direction. The final "Cosmic Phaelanopsis" is an example of the new direction Mary's work has taken.
This piece is part of NAWA's 135th Annual Members Exhibition.
Partial Artist Statement:
This artwork sparks a vital conversation reflecting the interconnectedness and balance within the microcosm of my garden and the macrocosm of the cosmos. My work draws inspiration from the life cycle of flowers to explore existential questions about existence, purpose, fragility, and interconnectedness.
This piece is part of NAWA's 135th Annual Members Exhibition.
Partial Artist Statement:
This artwork sparks a vital conversation reflecting the interconnectedness and balance within the microcosm of my garden and the macrocosm of the cosmos. My work draws inspiration from the life cycle of flowers to explore existential questions about existence, purpose, fragility, and interconnectedness.
PREVIOUS INSTALLMENTS:
Women Helping Women: A Recipe for Success
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Women Helping Women: A Recipe for Success
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