Here is “Against All Odds.” The title refers to the feeling of audacious upward growth and triumph of the bravely blooming lotus flower which has grown upwards and opened itself to the sky.
Against All Odds. 24″ x 36″, Oil on Canvas, © 2017 Cedar Lee
I enjoy the theme of the flower, something fine and delicate, being painted so roughly, its shape formed out of big swaths of thick paint spread on with a knife. It brings to mind the ruggedness of nature, the fact that life always finds a way. This is the real spirit of a flowering plant, despite its delicate physical form.
Detail: Against All Odds. 24″ x 36″, Oil on Canvas, © 2017 Cedar Lee
Like in my painting “Rise Up,” drips of yellow come down from the top, overlapping the red background which darkens to purple-black darkness at the bottom.
The lines of pink and purple immediately beneath the flower are reminiscent of rain falling off the petals, or in an impossible fantasy world, water from the pond streaming off the flower after it has dramatically popped up above the water’s surface–perhaps if the lotus flower’s growth were sped up so we could watch it happen in a matter of seconds!
Incorporated behind and within these vertical stripes of color are horizontal brush strokes, along with ripples and splatters of liquid paint.
Detail: Against All Odds. 24″ x 36″, Oil on Canvas, © 2017 Cedar Lee
These hints of the horizontal, and of rippling movement, are reminiscent of the shady, shifting water out of which the lotus grows.
Detail: Against All Odds. 24″ x 36″, Oil on Canvas, © 2017 Cedar Lee
I’ve built up many thick layers of paint. There are layers on top of layers of shapes and colors, creating visual interest throughout. The deep edges of the painting are dramatic!
Against All Odds. 24″ x 36″, Oil on Canvas, © 2017 Cedar Lee
This painting is 24″ x 36″ and will be available in my upcoming Spring Sale.
Cedar Lee in studio with painting: Against All Odds. 24″ x 36″, Oil on Canvas, © 2017 Cedar Lee
