Close-Up Rose in Warm Afternoon Light

Close-Up Rose in Warm Afternoon Light pulls the viewer right into the heart of a bloom. The petals fill the frame in layered curves of coral, salmon and pale apricot, folding inward toward a soft, cupped center. A hint of dark green at the edges makes the warm tones burn even brighter. Tim Burns approaches flowers the way he approaches the sea: he does not arrange, he observes. Trained first as a ceramic sculptor, he has a sculptor's eye for volume, and you feel it here. Each petal reads as a thin, curved form catching light on its rim and holding shadow in its hollow. From his Flowers series, this is one of the warmest images in his portfolio. Behind acrylic glass the coral tones take on a luminous, almost backlit quality. It brings life and warmth to a kitchen, dining room or entryway, and it rewards a close look: the longer you stand in front of it, the more the folds of the rose seem to open.