But one poppy in a glass vase, now that's minimalism. This image is a digital construction, with the goal of making just that one poppy completely central. From several photographs I selected the parts. The glass vase originally had a dead straight shape, which I reworked into the spherical shape seen in this image. The poppy is, was and remains, just a poppy. That beautiful powerful delicate flower. The thin stem seems almost too frail to support the large flower. But the red petals of the poppy are so delicate and light that it does just fine. With the poppy, the petals fall apart rather than the stem snapping.
The convex shape of the vase supports the round shape of the poppy, they reinforce each other. By having only that one thin stalk sticking out of the vase, I emphasize its fragility. For me that is also immediately the deeper meaning of the poppy: so skinny, so fragile and at first glance so vulnerable, but every year she returns with her family to color the fields and roadsides red. Storm and rain? No problem, she stays upright. In short, extremely fragile and at the same time very powerful.
For the background I chose this deep blue color, which is midway between a sunny day with blue sky and the dark sky on less sunny days.
                                
Since about 1974, I have been involved almost daily in photography, drawing (charcoal, graphite, conté, chalk, ink), painting, watercolour and/or collage making. In all these branches of visual work, I have tried a lot, found my own way, but.. Read more…