Loree Werner

The aesthetic beauty of botanical illustrations and paintings has fascinated and inspired people and myself for centuries but beyond its visual appeal, botanical drawings help identify and understand plants in a timeless manner.  Its original purpose was to aid in plant identification for medicinal and culinary uses.  The beauty that is derived from a living botanical is usually short lived.  My intention in this series is to capture the essence of the botanical miracles in  paintings of mixed media.  These paintings on  canvas or panel can be enjoyed aesthetically for years to come.  I incorporate painted small gems of dew drops, and small living insects or creatures on the foliage of the botanicals as a signature in my work.  I have been inspired by nature throughout my travels around the world during the summers of my career as an art teacher and educator. 

 

A quote that I have embraced by Georgia O'Keefe: "So I said to myself - I'll paint what I see - what the flower is to me but I'll paint it big and they will be surprised into taking time to look at it."