Flowers, Attention, and the Act of Seeing

I painted these watercolour and ink drawings to give flowers more attention.

They began as a simple practice — a way to slow down and really look at what’s around me. These works may not resemble my oil paintings at first glance, but they come from the same place. They’re about presence, observation, and giving time to what’s often overlooked.

Wherever I am, I notice the plants around me. When I travel, I’m drawn to vegetation we don’t have at home. When I’m here, flowers become a way to stay present in my everyday surroundings.

I try to notice five beautiful things every day. They don’t have to be grand. Some examples:

1. The way the sun casts a yellow glow that makes the building across from me light up
2. The squirrels in constant motion, jumping through the branches of the giant tree out back
3. The trace of green that still shows itself in winter
4. The expressiveness of the sky at sunrise or sunset
5. That moment when light hits my disco balls and fills the room with soft polka dots

What we fill our heads with matters. It shapes how we move through the world.

I paint what I paint because it’s about attention. We rush through our lives, taught that this pace is normal, but it isn’t natural. Slowing down — even briefly — changes how we experience the world.

So whether it’s a flower, a cocktail, a city at night, or one of my oil paintings, my work keeps circling the same idea: noticing what’s already there and allowing it to hold meaning.

These flower drawings aren’t meant to shout. They’re quiet on purpose. They ask for a little more time, a little more looking. And if they do their job, they might slow you down just enough to notice something beautiful that was already in front of you.

That’s what living with art can do — it becomes part of your day, noticed in passing, and then noticed again.

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This post is part of a short series reflecting on flowers, attention, and process.

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