Cinerea Muse I & Cinerea Muse II
Ahhh Valentine’s Day – the day of love. Its origins are thought to date back as far as 270CE when a couple of martyrs called Valentine were taken out by the Roman Emperor, Claudius II Gothicus – a bit of a morbid way to start the annual celebration of love. But like most ancient tales no one can be sure if this is the true beginning of the Valentine’s Day tradition. There are many more stories that came after this one which can also be interpreted as the beginning of the tradition, and even more that intertwine and build the legend. By the 14th century Valentine’s Day had cemented itself as being an annual day of declarations from the heart, celebrations of adoration and sweet gestures of love.
There are as many who loathe the day as there are those who love it and Smith & Brooks are of course, lovers. Not lovers in the OTT, commercialised, gift giving, public proclamations, red rose exchanging and chocolate devouring way. We are lovers in the way that we love our families, our work, the Earth, our coffee, our friends, our spare time, our backyards and so on. And we love the excuse that Valentine’s Day brings to focus on these things and be reminded of the parts of our lives that may need to be celebrated a little bit more. So in honour of the day of love (drum roll please….) we have created a lovers’ set of artworks, ‘Cinerea Muse I’ and ‘Cinerea Muse II’ as a special abstract floral art addition to the ‘Gathering Eucalypt’ collection.
These two lush abstract floral artworks are both separate pieces and one piece all at the same time. See when they are placed side by side a love story emerges. The composition can be seen to flow from one frame to another with crossover brush strokes and colour work. Then there is the love story itself – represented by an ever-present heart line made with a deep blue-grey that slowly meanders around flowers and leaves. It changes paths often and even separates into two paths before rejoining as one. As so many lovers know, the path of love is not consistent or linear or singular. This is a line for all love stories and all lovers. Those who have spent time apart; those whose path is hard to find or hard to see; those whose love does not fit the mould; those who do not fit the mould themselves. It’s for love stories that have forever existed but only now are starting to be told and celebrated.
Along with the storytelling element of these works, we wanted to express love through colour in these works. They incorporate an intense palette to reflect the nature of being in love and of being loved. You will find bold pops of pink and red pushed further than you have seen in Smith & Brooks works before. The inclusion of deep blue greys was made to represent the transcendent emotion that is love. The way you feel it on a subconscious level. While the warm yellows, orange and yellow greens give reference to happiness and contentment. The pen detail used in these works is also a nod to the complexity of life and relationships and builds layers and depth as exists in everyone’s stories.
So with that we hope you enjoy our new artworks and find your own story in them. Their intensity and vibrancy are a celebration of life not just love and all of the small moments that join the two together.
