The work: Nell Parker, Floral Addiction 6, 2022. Photograph, limited edition of 5, 50 x 50cm. Courtesy: the artist.
Describing her work as “a frenzy of flowers”, Western Australian artist Nell Parker uses photography to showcase the extensive array of flora she lovingly cultivates in her garden year-round. Working according to what is in bloom, she selects a bouquet that best represents the colours and textures of the season, carefully arranging and rearranging them to present her sitters at their best angle. In her work Floral Addiction 6, we see a palette of deep reds and purples mingled with bursts of yellow and orange. Together they convey a sense of vitality and warmth, the curled petals of the Chrysanthemum and soft contours of the gerbera daisy as full of life as they were in Parker’s garden. The work features one of the many vintage vases in the artist’s collection, who scouts for unique and striking vessels wherever she goes to add further variety to her practice. Surrounding the central festoon of flowers are shadows and echoes of the central subject, layered using only her camera, the artist preferring to make only minor adjustments post-production. This piece is celebratory and triumphant – a true frenzy of colour – epitomising Parker’s practice.