Field Lilies

We often let the beauty of field lilies drift quietly in and out of our memories. In summer, they can be easy to take for granted; simply another part of the landscape. They line stone walls that have stood for decades, brighten the edges of roads and ponds, and appear along fields, woodlands, and gardens. They seem to be everywhere.

Recently, I spent a day thinking about what I might paint next. I was in a beautiful park surrounded by cultivated beds of vibrant flowers and carefully groomed topiaries. Yet, what stayed with me throughout the day was not the formal garden. It was the gravel road leading into the park, lined on either side with day lilies.

There was something particularly compelling about them. Wild and abundant, they nevertheless felt perfectly at home there, creating a natural transition from the surrounding woodland to the carefully cultivated gardens within. Their presence was informal, yet

harmonious; a quiet meeting point between the wild landscape and the intentional hand of the gardener.

I never know exactly what I will find when I begin looking for a composition. Sometimes the subject is immediately apparent. Other times, it is something unexpected that lingers in my mind long after I have left.

This time, it was the field lilies.

I am now at work on a new painting inspired by that gravel road and the flowers that lined it. As the painting develops, I am allowing those first impressions; the movement, abundance, and quiet beauty of the lilies to guide the composition.

The painting is underway, and I look forward to seeing where it finds its way to being finished.