Don Berger: Artistic Process

Undoubtedly, gardens have provided inspiration for painters since the beginning of time. For me this connection came when I started gardening with my wife on a property which we had purchased. Increasingly, I became aware of the immense possibilities that the floral world could offer for the canvas. The major factors in this newfound collaboration were colour and form, light and shadow. Observing the interplay of these dynamic forces throughout the season, I began to see flowers as exquisite works of art.

In my work, I use colour, form, composition and tension to express both bold and subtle essences. Art is successful to the degree that an emotional or spiritual dialogue has taken place with the viewer, engaged in such a way as to inspire participation in the work itself. Earlier florals failed to accomplish this consistently, until I discovered that in order to attract the viewer's attention, I had to enlarge the painting surface significantly. In this larger-than-life likeness, the viewer is drawn into the blossom, almost catching the scent, and seeing details that would be missed on the smaller scale. It is something akin to viewing an ordinary subject under a microscope and being surprised at what has gone previously unnoticed, though often seen before.

After studying and painting the complex structure of the flowers we so often take for granted, I feel it is my vested emotion in the painting, that untimately pays tribute to the subject.