BRAVING THE STORM

A Thesis
Submitted to the Faculty
of
Laguna College of Art & Design
by
TARA NORWOOD

In Partial Fulfillment of the

Requirements for the Degree
of
Master of Fine Arts

May, 2012

Laguna College of Art and Design

Master of Fine Arts Thesis Approval

Signature Page

Title of Thesis: Braving the Storm

Master of Fine Arts Candidate Signature: ___________________________________

(Print name) ___________________________________

Thesis faculty advisor: ____________________________________________

(Print name) __________________________________________
Second reader (optional): ____________________________________________
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MFA Program Chair: ____________________________________________
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Dean of MFA Program: ________________________________
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Date Approved: _______________________

2012 by Tara Norwood

No part of this work can be reproduced without permission except as indicated by the Fair
Use clause of the copyright law. Passages, images, or ideas taken from this work must be
properly credited in any written or published materials.

ABSTRACT
My work defines and explores the concept of floral life-cycles as a metaphor for
human existence. I draw inspiration from my personal garden, which I cultivate for research
purposes, as well as other natural spaces. This closeness to floral life-cycles allows the
concept to continuously permeate my thoughts. I refer to the vanitas paintings of Renaissance
Holland, the tradition of floral symbology, as well as a study of environmental forces. To
develop this thesis, I have performed research in the form of plein air painting and
photography at myriad gardens and natural settings. I also employ the photographic
technique of digital image manipulation for research and idea gathering purposes. I then
build my concepts on large scale canvasses in order for the viewer to interact more intimately
with the floral narratives I create. The centrality of flowers to my art has presented me with
an artistic struggle, as flowers are often thought of as trite objects of beauty rather than
critical objects. However, as I explore through my art, the transitory nature of flowers is quite
reflective of our lives and modern cultural values.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank all of the wonderful professors at LCAD, especially my mentors
Perin Mahler and Darlene Campbell. I am also very grateful to the LCAD MFA students,
many of whom were invaluable peer mentors.

DEDICATION

To my family.

EPIGRAPH
`O

Tiger-lily,' said Alice, addressing herself to one that was waving gracefully about in the
wind, `I wish you could talk!'
`We can talk,' said the Tiger-lily: `when there's anybody worth talking to."
-Lewis Carol, Alice and Wonderland

TABLE OF CONTENTS
DESCRIPTION..1
RESEARCH...6
METHODOLOGY...10
CONCLUSION12
BIBLIOGRAPHY.14
APPENDIX..16

TABLE OF FIGURES
FIGURE

Title, Artist, Date

(Page)

Poppies, Tara Norwood, 2011

Clematis, Tara Norwood, 2012

Iris, Tara Norwood, 2012

Roses-In Progress, Tara Norwood, 2012

The Round Tower: Plate 3 of Carceri, Giovanni

Piranesi, 1749-1760

Still Life of Flowers, Fruit, Shells, and Insects,,Balthasar

van der Ast, 1629

Convent Thoughts, Charles Collin , 1851

Campanula , Tara Norwood, 2011

11

Divers Cove, Laguna Beach, Tara Norwood, 2012

11

10

Morning Glory, Tara Norwood, 2011

12

DESCRIPTION
Flowers are some of natures most ephemeral creations. They exist for most of their
lives in a state of developing or wilting, and are only punctuated by the extreme vibrancy by
which we characterize them. Like many people, they are defined by a brief interlude of
brilliance that is an unrepresentative slice of their time on earth. The duality of defining a
plant by a moment of its life versus its entire life-cycle fascinates me.
Through my work, I explore the concept of the floral life-cycle as a metaphor for our
human existence. My work Poppies (fig. 1) exemplifies this exploration. The painting
focuses on temporal and sequential aspects of a collection of red poppies. Some of these
flowers are in full bloom, others are dying, and still others are buds waiting to bloom. In
addition to the direct depiction of the flowers, I explore the passage of time through the
outlines of floral patterns that can be seen throughout the painting. These ghosts represent
the movement of time by suggesting the positions of flowers past, the former positions of
flowers within the painting, or the positions of future flowers.

Fig. 1. Norwood, Tara. Poppies, 2011. Acrylic on canvas, 36 in. x36in.

My fascination with this subject matter stems from my childhood experiences with
agriculture. Growing up in a crop-producing community, the continual repetition of planting,
sprouting, growing and dying were drilled into my consciousness. This cycle occurs on a
short time scale relative to human life, but to me it is a perfect parallel to the vicissitudes of
our own time on earth. It is a beautiful but painful cycle that is a metaphor for all life.
Thinking about plant life-cycles became as regular to me as thinking about the change of
night to day and life to death. I am also captivated by this process due to its natural primacy
and the ways in which it has been modernized. Many of the basic features have existed since
the dawn of life, but now much has become mechanized and artificial. This includes the lifecycle of plants, as many live much longer and heartier lives than ever possible in nature.
I cultivate a garden to keep this cycle active in my thoughts as I produce my
paintings. I grow plants for food as well as for aesthetic value. Choosing which plants to
grow and tending to them are central to my artistic process. I am in a sense deciding which
species will propagate more fully than others, both in nature and in art. I have come to
understand that cultivated plants are our evolutionary partners. Those that we have come to
value are those that are allowed to propagate (Pollen). They provide us with food,
sustenance, or a depth of feeling and thought, and in exchange we spread them to new
territory. We make them stronger. We nurture them, and we care for them.
This process has brought me both joy and struggle. In many ways, I am forced to
fight for the survival of my plants. Without me, they would be forgotten; they would be
unable to grow, to live, and to be preserved as art. My plants and I share these struggles
daily. They involve both offensive measures, such as watering and fertilizing, and defensive

measures, such as stopping the spread of disease and pests. I explore the interconnection of
beauty, life, and destruction through this process. Once, an infestation of leaf-miners, small
insects that eat plant leaves by burrowing just under the waxy surface, produced dazzling
patterns on the leaves of one of my citrus plants. Without intervention this would be a slow,
albeit beautiful, death for the plant. Structurally, the bugs had hijacked the plant's natural
defenses, rendering spray treatments and poisons ineffectual in restoring the plant's health.
Only by painstakingly removing each tiny insect by hand was I able to cure my now hobbled
plant. This experience led me to explore how flowers are susceptible to nature, weather, and
other forces beyond their control. I first began to define this concept in my work Clematis
(fig. 2). While the work focuses on the delicateness of the clematis flowers, the hint of sky in
the upper right corner suggests the largeness of the surrounding environment. This
environments unpredictability is suggested by the storm clouds, which can be either
harmless passersby or harbingers of destruction for these delicate creatures.

Fig. 2. Norwood, Tara. Clematis, 2011. Acrylic on canvas, 48in. x24in.

I further developed this concept in my work Iris (fig.3). Whereas Clematis brought about the
first expression of the inexorability of these natural forces, Iris represents an evolution in my
thinking. I began to understand that flowers are not simply passive beings completely
subjugated to natures whim. Rather, they are often defiant, surviving and flourishing despite
all odds. Iris depicts a grouping of purple irises flanking a central yellow iris against a
background of tumultuous clouds. Unlike Clematis, a significant portion of Iris is devoted to
the depiction of the sky, adding to the drama of the scene by vividly depicting the potentially
crushing forces of the natural world. Yet the irises in this scene remain resolute. The purple
irises project a dark willingness to do battle with the forces of nature, and the central yellow
iris symbolizes their hope. The yellow iris further encapsulates this hope in its physicality:
despite its vibrancy it is still a bud, the floral promise of new life and rebirth. However, the
viewer likely understands that this battle is one that irises do not usually win. The struggle of
these irises echoes our human struggles against vast and powerful forces that elude our
control.

Fig. 3. Norwood, Tara. Iris, 2012, Acrylic on canvas, 48in. x24in.

I have continued this exploration of flowers acted upon by natural forces in Rose (fig. 4), a
work in progress. Like in Iris, a storm is brewing, and the viewer is unsure as to the fate of
the grouping of roses.

Fig. 4. Norwood, Tara. Roses , 2012, Acrylic on canvas, 72in. x 48 in.

I experiment with a net-like placement of the roses as a means to frame the storm. I am
attempting to engage the viewer with powerful natural forces through the lens of these
flowers, which I see as a representation of our human struggles. This has required substantial
research into defining the architectural environments of the roses. In preparation for this
painting, I researched the work of Giovanni Battista Piranesi, whose constructions of i
carceri, or prisons, create depth and space through the use of framing and overlapping (fig.5

). This work also explores the dichotomy between cultivation and wildness experienced by
all roses. I am hoping to discover more on this theme as my work progresses.

Fig. 5. Piranesi, Giovanni The Round Tower: Plate 3 of Carceri, 1749-1760, Ink on paper, 21 in. x 16 7/16 in.

Throughout the creation of these works, I have sensed an inherent difficulty in

defining flowers as critical objects in our society. Our artistic tradition and our culture have
deemed flowers to be little more than trite objects of beauty, more fit for a sweetheart than
for contemplation. But as I attempt to demonstrate through my works Clematis, Iris, and
Rose, the transitory nature of flowers is quite reflective of our lives and modern cultural
values. Beyond a casual aesthetic appreciation for the subject, I understand the complexity of
the life-cycle at work in each bloom.
RESEARCH
The primary source of my research is my personal garden. By tending to plants, I am
able to fully immerse myself in their life-cycle and better understand the nuances of their
attractive power. I become an integral part of the life of each plant in my garden, allowing
me to gain a deeply personal perspective on my subjects. I journey with them from the spring

seedling to withering stalks of winter. I toil with them, as they struggle to grow and defend
themselves from predators and parasites. I revel with them in the height of their beauty and
fragrance.
Much of what I have learned about flowers and plants is through direct observation.
Watching a vine coil its tendrils around a trellis informs my understanding of space and light
in the natural world, and I employ this understanding in my paintings. Studying the dance of
the bright red poppies as they age and turn into hard and dark brown seed pods gives me
perspective on the motions of their life. This can be seen in my work Poppies, in which the
outlines of moving flowers are depicted.
Many of the flowers that begin their lives in my garden later become the subjects of
my work. I find that I know the plants I cultivate more intimately, and I am ultimately able to
depict them in a way that is truer to themselves than when I take subjects from photographs.
It also gives me great pleasure to preserve the flowers that I have known so well through my
art.
To me, flowers are an allegory for human existence. The struggle of each plant is a
metaphor for the cycle of our human lives, as has been noted through human history. For
example, St. Peter notes in an Epistle: For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as
the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower falleth away (Pollen 63). In this
sense, my work is also informed by the vanitas paintings of Renaissance Holland, such as
Still Life with Flowers, Fruit, Shells, and Insects by Ast van der Balthasar (fig. 6). Though
the painting depicts a bountiful scene, elements of this work hint at the inevitability of the
progression of the life-cycle, shown through the wilting flowers and the withering grape
leaves (Herzog 20).

Fig.6. Ast, Balthasar van der Still Life of Flowers, Fruit, Shells, and Insects, 1629, Oil on oak panel, 17 x 29
in., Birmingham Museum of Art

I also draw inspiration from the Christian tradition of floral symbology, although the
roots of these traditions likely date to pagan and Asiatic sources. It is not the religious aspect
of this tradition that I cultivate, but rather I draw inspiration from the fact that these were
some of the first depictions of flowers in Western paintings. The flowers were often
employed as allegories in religious scenes. For example, the Madonna was often pictured
with a white lily, a symbol associated with purity dating back to the beginning of Christianity
(Moore 39). I often consider the symbology of a flower before deciding to incorporate it into
one of my works. In Poppies, I chose to explore oriental poppies, the flower of
remembrance, to commemorate the recent passing of my grandfather. Poppies have long
been a symbol of the remembered dead, from Homers dying soldier in the Iliad, whose head
sinks like a poppy, to the paper poppies sold on Veterans Day to commemorate the fallen in
many of the worlds wars. Connecting with this flowers legacy imparted my work with
greater expressiveness. For me, choosing the proper flower as a subject is analogous to
picking the correct word for a verse of poetry. It is a part of an ancient language that has all
the dexterity and expressiveness of a spoken one. To this end, I often work with Victorian
flower dictionaries, which are extensive compilations of floral symbology that were often

utilized by the Pre-Raphaelites. The Pre-Raphaelites, such as Charles Allston Collins, used
flower symbology to describe a narrative within a painting. In Collins painting Convent
Thoughts, a young nun examines a passion flower while walking through a garden during her
scripture studies (fig. 7). The passion flower symbolizes the crucifixion of Christ, and the
surrounding roses and lilies symbolize purity and the presence of the Virgin Mary. Using this
floral language, Collins reveals that the nun is learning the lessons of piety (Mancoff 12).

Fig. 7. Collins, Charles Convent Thoughts , 1851,The Asholean Museum in Oxford

However, the Pre-Raphaelites use of flowers as symbols rather than as the focus of
art revived a tradition that preceded the Renaissance. During the Renaissance, a time of
increased appreciation of the natural world, flowers began to appear as the subjects of art
rather than as symbols within a narrative, as seen in the vanitas paintings. Flowers
themselves became actors that developed the narrative within a painting. However, this
tradition became largely obsolete following the Baroque period, in which flowers were
relegated to a predominately decorative purpose. Even in the work of the Impressionists of

the twentieth century, which is strongly associated with natural and floral subjects, the
emphasis was placed not on flowers but on artistic style. These insipid depictions led to the
reactionary abandonment of floral themes, as documented by Hans-Micheal Herzog in The
Art of the Flower. Herzog writes:
Only a few years ago, the idea of finding contemporary flower pieces at an art
exhibition would have been inconceivable. No artist of serious merit would have
dared venture into such seemingly shallow waters. Depictions of flowers are all too
closely identified with trivial prettiness; flower pieces run the risk by being consumed
all too quickly by the aesthetics of commerce and calendars. (Herzog 7)
Recently, however, an increased interest in environmentalism and naturalism has allowed
floral themes to re-emerge as legitimate artwork. Currently, flowers are being reinvented and
redefined in immensely creative ways. I strongly identify with this movement, and I believe
that I am advancing a mode of expression that was unjustly discarded by our artistic tradition.
METHODOLOGY
The realization of my paintings begins with my contemplation of a subject in its
natural environment. I study the flowers in my garden through sketches and studies to
familiarize myself with my subjects. I also visit other gardens and natural settings to study a
wide variety of plants. I use these trips to produce studies, and to record subjects via
photography. Plein air painting is essential to my artistic process (fig.8). I find that working
in nature allows me to be one with my subject, consolidate my ideas regarding current and
upcoming paintings, and better make artistic decisions in the studio. Through plein air, I
study light and volume in natural settings.

Fig. 8-9. Norwood, Tara. Plein Air Paintings, 2012. Acrylic on canvas, varying sizes

Despite the importance of plein air to my process, I work primarily in the studio. The large
scale canvasses I work with in the studio necessitate the use of photographs. I often
manipulate these photographs to achieve my artistic goals. Using Adobe Photoshop, I move
flowers within their photographs, combine flowers from different photographs, and alter light
and dark spaces. In my work Poppies, I created a collage of poppies from different places
and times to create a holistic depiction of their life-cycle.

I begin my paintings with a shape-driven sketch on the canvas. This allows me to

construct the space of my paintings. I use acrylic paint because I find its water-solubility to
result in a more organic process that is liberating to me as an artist. I then use local color to
block-out regions of lightness and darkness. Slowly, I add more detail as the form of the
images begins to reveal itself through shape and color. I focus on constructing a believable
space that incorporates elements of depth and volume. As the painting develops, I make
decisions to alter elements of the composition, sometimes exaggerating color or space to
enhance a desired effect. In my painting Morning Glory, I intentionally darkened areas of the
background to create a sense of mystery and enhance the representation of depth in the work
(fig.10).

Fig.10. Norwood, Tara. Morning Glory, 2011. Acrylic on canvas, 36 in. x36in.

CONCLUSION
The development of my thesis has led me to understand that the flowers in my
paintings are characters in an unfolding drama rather than inanimate objects of beauty. The
difficulties I have faced in defining flowers as critical objects have led me to explore the
concept of the floral life-cycle in an attempt to understand the inner workings of these living
entities and to relate them to our human existence. This has led me to develop paintings that
describe the life-force and the experiences of flowers. Whereas human subjects have stories
that are readily transmitted, floral experiences must be carefully studied, coaxed and teased
out. My studies have led me to understand that humans and flowers share many parallel
vicissitudes, and that flowers can be poignant symbols of our humanity. Our shared struggles
as living things are quite similar, and indeed their life-force is similar to ours.
This exploration has led me to the next phase in my work. I have begun to experiment
with the introduction of further emotion through use of important landscape attributes within
my paintings. These include skies, mountains, and other components. Unlike my earlier work
in which flowers were the primary actors, this next generation of paintings depicts flowers
that are acted upon by powerful forces beyond their control. While these flowers are revealed
to be delicate and at the mercy of strong and uncaring forces, they remain willful and defiant.
Their life-force remains as strong as ever and, like humans, they seek to survive and define
themselves in harsh environments.
My studies of the floral life-cycle have led me on a remarkable journey. Not only
have these studies led to the refinement of my art, they have also given me the opportunity to
develop as a human being. I have gained a deep understanding of the beautiful fragility of all
living things.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bttner, Nils. The History of Gardens in Painting. New York: Abbeville, 2008. Print.
Carroll, Lewis. Alice in Wonderland. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1978. Print.
Cikovsky, Nicolai, and Michael Quick. George Inness. Los Angeles, CA: Los Angeles County
Museum of Art, 1985. Print.
"Collection Item Details - Birmingham Museum of Art." Birmingham Museum of Art. Web. 1
Mar. 2012. <http://www.artsbma.org/collectionitemdetails?searchlayout=grid>.
"Giovanni Battista Piranesi: The Round Tower: Plate 3 of Carceri (37.45.3(27))". In Heilbrunn
Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000.
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/37.45.3(27) (October 2006)
Foshay, Elle M. Art in Bloom: with Paintings from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. New York,
NY: Phaidon Universe/Phaidon, 1990. Print.
Heilmeyer, Marina. The Language of Flowers: Symbols and Myths. Munich: Prestel, 2006. Print.
Herzog, Hans-Michael, Norbert Schneider, and Rolf Sachsse. The Art of the Flower: The Floral
Still Life from the 17th to the 20th Century. Kilchberg/Zurich, Switzerland: Edition Stemmle,
1996. Print.
Mancoff, Debra N. Flora Symbolica: Flowers in Pre-Raphaelite Art. Munich: Prestel, 2003.
Print.
Marshal, Alexander. Mr. Marshal's Flower Book. New York, NY: Viking Studio, 2008. Print.
Moore, Andrew W., and Christopher Garibaldi. Flower Power: The Meaning of Flowers in Art.
London: Philip Wilson, 2003. Print.
O'Malley, Therese, and Amy R. W. Meyers. The Art of Natural History: Illustrated Treatises
and Botanical Paintings, 1400-1850. New Haven, Conn. ; London: Yale UP, 2010. Print.
Pollan, Michael. The Botany of Desire: a Plant's-eye View of the World. New York: Random
House, 2002. Print.

Tongiorgi, Tomasi Lucia., and Gretchen A. Hirschauer. The Flowering of Florence: Botanical
Art for the Medici. Aldershot: National Gallery of Art, Washington in Association with Lund
Humphries, 2002. Print.

APPENDIX

Norwood, Tara. Poppies, 2011. Acrylic on canvas, 36 in. x36in.

Norwood, Tara. Morning Glory, 2011. Acrylic on canvas, 36 in. x36in.

Norwood, Tara. Iris, 2012, Acrylic on canvas, 48in. x24in.

Norwood, Tara. Clematis, 2011. Acrylic on canvas, 48in. x24in.

Norwood, Tara Roses , 2012, Acrylic on canvas, 72in. x 48 in.

Norwood, Tara. Untitled Plein Air Paintings, 2012. Acrylic on canvas, varying sizes