Collection: Artist in Residence: Jasmyn Fraser

The talented Jasmyn Fraser is our Artist in Residence for September at Domenica Marland. Based in East Sussex, she creates painted gardens, keeping flowers in bloom all year round. From her studio in Sussex, she makes intricately painted images of flowers and foliage foraged from the natural environment around her.

Q&A with Jasmyn Fraser

What part of your artistic process do you enjoy the most?

I love spending a long time painting each flower, getting lost in the tiny details of each petal and understanding what makes them so beautiful. After spending hours looking at a single bloom you notice the subtle glow of the light through the flower, or the way the petals unfurl. Bringing these tiny details to life is the part I enjoy most.

How long does one painting take, start to finish?

Each painting will take a whole day. Or as long as the flower will last. Each painting is done on a wooden board that has been primed, sanded and coated with a thin wash of oil paint before any detailed work begins. I only work in natural light, so each one is a true reflection of the natural pigments found in the flowers. In the tradition of botanical study, I observe the plant as it opens, sketching its form before I begin mixing oil paints. Paints are mixed by hand to reflect the living colour of each petal or leaf.

What draws you to the Dutch Masters?

There's something so lovely about looking at a painting made 400 years ago and realizing they were looking at the same thing you see today. At a time when photography didn't exist to record these flowers, their paintings shaped the tastes and fashions of the time. The demand these paintings created for tulips in particular completely drove the economic market. Whilst the tulip bulb itself could be worth as much as a town house, the painting, lasting forever, and hand painted in intricate detail, could be owned by many. 

Is there a flower you keep returning to, if so why?

Every year I get excited when the foxgloves return.  They come in so many different colours, and they always remind me of wild foxgloves filling the hedgerows of Cornwall where I grew up. The bell shaped petals are so satisfying to paint, with tiny spots and little leaves that make the piece come alive.

What do you want people to feel looking at your work?

I want people to feel a sense of calm and invite them to look a little closer. With each piece holding a single flower, you really get the chance to see it in isolation, and enjoy the colours and textures in a new way. You get to notice the simplicity of a little leaf, or the way the light hits the petals in ways you wouldnt normally notice.

What are three words to describe this new collection?

Vibrant, delicate and airy.