The Fort Gallery presents an exhibition, Flora, by Kristin Krimmel, February 22 – March 12, 2017.

It seems like a miracle that a tiny seed and a bit of fertile mud can produce glorious plants, completing their life cycle with exuberant flowers then new seeds. I’m an amateur gardener from good genetic stock. My grandfather was a horticulturist; and through my father, I learned a respect and love of growing things.

Whether from the garden, a pond, the nursery or the florist, flowers create for me a state of wonder. It's not just the way the forms burgeon from a bursting bud. It's not just the incredible variety of colour and pattern. It's the life within the flower itself. As an artist, I wonder at the beauty created by shifting light and shadow, the drama of tonal differences, making all the difference in how the image takes shape.

Two years ago, I changed the light fixture in my kitchen. There are three lights hanging above the counter. Every time I place a plant beneath the lights, I get three different shadows for the same plant. The flowers became the excuse for the shadows!
That explains the flora of my kitchen.

I have also created a series of paintings of Jan Willem's pond. The pond paintings arise from my interest in visual transparency. What is under water? What is not? Also, there is a perspective in these which comes towards you from the reflection of the sky and one that goes away from you into the distance of the planted environment. It’s a clever visual device that I learned from Monet.

In addition, you will see some of my journeys into painting the magnificence of flowers, whether in small format or grand, when I feel compelled to capture an ephemeral floral moment – a gift, a vision; harvest from the garden.

The Fort Gallery will show these analytical reflections February 22nd to March 12th. Please join the artist for the opening reception, Sunday, February 26th between 1:00 and 4:00 p.m.