Blooming, 163 x 244cm, oil on Italian linen, 2023
‘Peonies start as a bud, gently expanding and blossoming as layers and layers of petals unfurl. I have chosen stems from different stages to suggest the evolution of life – from birth to death. Peonies are only in season for a short period of time each year, about 8 weeks. I wanted to capture the immortalisation of peonies in a state of bloom. Unlike this brief lifecycle of the peony, these paintings will have a greater permanence.’ Jenna Caspary