Some commissions begin with a color, others with a space.
This one began with a love language.
Empress is a photorealistic painting of a Dahlia, commissioned and created in collaboration between my client and the artist Elizabeth Barlow. For my client, flowers are expressive, symbolic, and deeply personal. They are how she gives and receives love. From that understanding, Empress was born.
The Dahlia itself is a flower of presence. Lush, layered, and unapologetically bold, it carries a quiet authority. In this painting, every petal is rendered with extraordinary precision, yet nothing feels rigid. The bloom feels alive—breathing, opening, asserting itself with grace. Photorealism here is not about imitation alone, but reverence.
Throughout the creative process, the studio became a place of devotion. The slow unfolding of the painting mirrored the nature of the flower itself: patient, intentional, and grounded in care. From the first underpainting to the final highlights, Empress evolved as an object of attention and honor.
Once completed, the work found its home—where it now holds space with calm confidence. It is both striking and serene, commanding and tender. Like its namesake, Empress does not ask for attention; it simply receives it.
This is what I love most about commissioned art when it is done thoughtfully. It is not just about creating something beautiful—it is about translating emotion into form, and meaning into matter. When words are insufficient, art steps forward. When gestures need permanence, painting answers.
Empress is a portrait of love expressed through flowers.
And a reminder that beauty, when deeply seen, becomes powerful.