Have you already had the chance to view the 2021 works by VISIONAIRE LONDON’s Bettina Newbery “BLOOMS IMAGINED”. Today we explore the artist’s motives to develop floral semi-abstract paintings.
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British artist Bettina Newbery has been painting fine oil portraits inspired by fashion and popular culture since 2010.
During 2020 – 2022 lockdowns, portraits became more abstracted and blended with floral patterns, leading to the 2021 semi-abstracted BLOOMS IMAGINED series.
The 2021 BLOOMS IMAGINED paintings by British Artist Bettina Newbery introduced a world of pure shapes and intense colours.
KOONESS: Describe your 2021 BLOOMS IMAGINED series?
BETTINA NEWBERY: The 2021 BLOOMS IMAGINED series followed the idea that Nothing in Nature ever clashes. Experimenting with shapes, and vibrant colours resulted in
• velvety and sumptuous blooms
• flamboyant yet delicate pastel-coloured single blooms
• exquisite monochrome blooms in ivory tones with the subtlest hints of colour
K: What motivated you to create the 2021 series?
BN: Flowers have long held a place in culture, influencing fashion, design and literature through their beauty and symbolic weight. And for centuries, artists have turned to florals for inspiration. Flowers’ visual and tactile qualities associate with love, femininity and the natural world - inspiring contemporary artists such as myself, to harness the visual and conceptual power of flowers in fresh and unexpected ways.
My 2021 paintings are inspired by the beauty of stunning flowers and sweep away any conventions of colour.
K: What is the significance of your 2021 ART IN BLOOM series within your artistic development and exploration?
BN: The 2021 paintings enter a world of pure shapes, more intense colours and new pared-down monochromes.
These original artworks were finely drawn and coloured in a way that each painting may seem simple at first glimpse, but with each new glance, you enter a new colour sensation - BLOOMS as they have not been imagined before.
K: Why do you think, abstracted florals are so desirable to collectors and private homes?
BN: While modern portraits add sophistication to any environment, floral abstracts are equally important in the realms of contemporary art: they are as eclectic and diverse – here are two examples:
The ray florets of beautiful luminous bloom Lily range from subtly streaked with creamy white and pale lilac-pink to a sumptuous apricot-pink and a warm golden peach pairing so decoratively with glorious Shirley in a warm blend of rich gold and warm copper.
Jill + Jasmine add sumptuous colour to your living or work space with lavish-looking blooms: well-formed lilac-pink soft petals pair with a neatly symmetrical, claret black flower ball that adds a bold shot of rich colour.
In the second example, deconstructed camelia flowers are the star attraction - they boast ruffles of pristine white blooms, large outer petals of an antique white shade surround the centres, flushed with rich bronze/purple – they add a touch of subtle drama to any home space.
K: Thinking about your inspirations, have you continued to use flowers?
BN: The 2022 ART CANDY series saw the continuation of the BLOOMS theme that had started with the 2021 ART IN BLOOM series - by refining the abstraction, the paintings became supremely colourful, almost unreal flower arrangements that would be hard to top in terms of sheer opulence.
K: What are your next projects within and without the gallery Visionaire London?
BN: I will continue to indulge in breath-taking with the eclectic use of pattern and innovative colour combinations – making floral abstracts even more desirable.
Exploring graphic elements taken from nature, simple shapes that surround us, I am having fun with many more colours - portraits or abstracts, it is colour that brings the gift of magic to my paintings.
K: What are your immediate plans?
BN: The next upcoming major exhibition will take place in 2023 in ARTIFACT Gallery, Manhattan, April 5 – 23.
Cover image: Bettina Newbery, Blooms Imagined, 2021. Courtesy VISIONAIRE LONDON
Written by Kooness
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