Beautiful Spring: New Floral Paintings Inspired by the City of Blooms

Every spring, I find myself eagerly stepping outside to explore the neighbourhoods of Greater Victoria, British Columbia. After all, we are known as the City of Gardens, and by April and May, it truly lives up to its name. The streets come alive with colour—cherry blossoms, magnolias, tulips, camellias, and rhododendrons bloom in full glory, turning even the most ordinary walk into a visual feast.

Over the years, my reference library has grown with hundreds of photos from these seasonal wanderings, yet until now, I hadn’t spent much time translating these natural wonders onto canvas. This year feels different. I’ve felt a strong pull toward exploring still life through the lens of the floral—both as a celebration of nature and as a challenge in composition, colour, and emotion.

Among my top five painters of all time is Georgia O’Keeffe, whose floral works remain some of the most iconic paintings in art history. O’Keeffe didn’t paint flowers like Monet or Van Gogh—her approach was distinctly modern, bold, and intimate. Her close-up compositions and soft, sensual forms elevated the floral still life beyond mere decoration, imbuing it with emotion, mystery, and even provocation. It’s this power I’m now exploring—how flowers can suggest more than beauty; they can evoke memory, longing, femininity, and the fragility of time.

These new floral paintings are not just about documenting what I see; they’re about interpreting how these blooms make me feel. Through colour, texture, and composition, I want to honour the fleeting yet vibrant energy of spring—the way a single flower can hold the entire season in its petals.

New Floral Paintings: Introducing the First Paintings in the Series

The first few pieces in this new floral series are intimate studies that draw from both real-life reference and emotional impression. Rather than aiming for strict realism, I’m interested in capturing the essence and personality of each bloom—how it leans into the light, how its colour vibrates against the background, and how the arrangement breathes on the canvas.

Good Day Sunflower – 36×48 inches, acrylic on canvas, 2025 Brandy Saturley

A bold and joyful close-up of one of summer’s most iconic blooms, Good Day Sunflower captures the warmth and optimism sunflowers seem to radiate. Painted with a tight crop, the flower fills the frame—its golden petals reaching beyond the canvas edges as if stretching toward the sun. Set against a vibrant sky-blue background, the composition feels fresh, clean, and unapologetically cheerful.

Floating around the bloom are playful green dots—an unexpected pop art motif that adds movement and whimsy to the scene. These hovering elements suggest energy, motion, and perhaps even the carefree buzz of bees or the hum of summer itself. There’s a sense of rhythm in the repetition, evoking a lighthearted, almost musical quality.

This painting is both a celebration of nature and a nod to modern pop aesthetics. It’s about capturing the feeling of a good day—the kind where the sky is clear, the sun is high, and everything feels possible.

Hello Poppy – 36×48, acrylic on canvas, 2025, Brandy Saturley

A bold embrace of colour and contrast—a close-cropped portrait of a single, vibrant red poppy in full bloom. The petals ripple with movement and intensity, their rich crimson hue almost pulsing against a soft, vivid blue background that allows the flower to take center stage.

Adding a playful tension to the composition are scattered magenta pop art dots that hover across the background like bursts of energy or confetti. These rhythmic, graphic elements lend a sense of fun and unexpected modernity to the otherwise natural subject. The result is a striking balance between organic form and contemporary edge.

This painting captures the moment a flower demands your attention—the kind of moment that stops you mid-walk in a field or garden. Hello Poppy is an exclamation, a flirtation, and a vibrant hello to summer’s fleeting beauty.

These works are the beginning of what I hope will be a larger body of floral still life paintings. With each one, I’m discovering new ways to approach composition and emotion through this timeless subject. There’s something grounding about painting flowers—like pressing pause on the chaos of life to focus on the ephemeral, the beautiful, and the alive.