Artwork courtesy of William Shearburn Gallery.
Inspired by the floats of the Tournament of Roses, St. Louis-based visual artist Andrew Millner traveled to Pasadena, Calif., in 2011 to photograph the flowers up close. His latest work, Rose Parade, was borne out of that experience and will be on display at William Shearburn Gallery beginning September 25-November 6, 2015.
“Roses have become almost cliché,” says Millner. “I wanted to make them specific again.”
On Friday, September 25, the public will have an opportunity to view his works at a reception for the artist from 6-8 p.m. at the Gallery. (665 S. Skinker Blvd., 314-367-8020).
“I’ve been making work with nature as my subject for 15 years, in particular trees and botanical specimens,” he says. “I wanted to expand on the subject matter, and took an interest in gardening and formal gardens. I was curious about how we impose structure on nature,” he says.
Millner photographs his subjects first. He records his drawings as a file on the computer instead of on paper and projects the drawings onto a canvas. Then, he goes over them with paint.
The series of photographs from his latest works took one and a half years to draw and to cut and paste into various patterns. In addition to Red Rose Parade and Black Rose Parade, there is a series of cut flower bouquets to express the subject from a different point of view: one in bright colors and the other in white.
The artist’s work explores the natural world, and particularly the relationship between art and nature, the natural and the artificial.
“I’m cognizant of the history of art. Of our relationship to the natural world,” he says. “Are we separate from it or a part of it? Do we control it too much? Or does it still have control over us?”
