Vodniciar Vladimir Still Life Bouquet «Cherries and Flowers» — 67x93cm oil on burlap canvas 2008

This Still Life is a Artwork of great emotional and personal value within my artistic creation. The Bouquet of Alstroemeria (Peruvian lilies) preserves the memory of an important period in my pedagogical activity, when painting was a real means of transmitting aesthetic sensitivity and artistic awareness to younger generations of students. I painted this Still Life with a bouquet of flowers and cherries in oil in March 2008, during the time when I was working as a Professor at the School of Fine Arts in the village of Ciorescu, Moldova. A special aspect of this artwork is the support on which it was painted. I did not use a standard commercial canvas. This work is a particularly meaningful memory for me because it was painted on a thick burlap canvas — these canvases, between 2005 and 2008, I personally prepared by hand.After ordering the wooden stretcher frames from a carpenter, I purchased thick burlap fabric, which I carefully opened and prepared, then manually stretched the material onto the wooden frames. Afterwards, I covered the canvases with several layers of gelatin and a special white acrylic primer.This burlap canvas, personally prepared by me through a traditional handmade process, gives the surface an authentic texture and a unique material presence, linking this Artwork to the old tradition of preparing painting supports by hand. This becomes a part of the artistic structure language of the work, connecting it to the old tradition of preparing paintings by hand, while also emphasizing the personal character and authenticity of this Artwork. This painting was created in a special pedagogical context to which I was deeply attached — the years when I arranged these still lifes for my students to paint, while I created my own painted interpretation beside them, transforming each painting lesson into a moment of shared artistic creation.Thus, this painting preserves the energy of the School of Fine Arts filled with children in Ciorescu, Moldova, where I worked from 2006 to 2012. During those years, I often painted alongside my students in order to show them an example of how to observe beauty in the subjects presented during our painting lessons, where direct observation, experimentation, and the joy of color were essential parts of the educational process.The Still Life is constructed around a rich bouquet of Peruvian lilies (Alstroemeria) placed in a decorative blue vase, accompanied by red cherries arranged across the surface of the table.I created a chromatic dialogue between the ruby red of the flowers and the deep red tones of the cherries — a contrast that intensifies the vitality of the composition.I chose to paint these Alstroemeria flowers, which are actually a type of flower resembling lilies. Through the delicacy of their petals and their variety of shades — from white with soft pink accents to intense tones of red and orange — they bring a lively, delicate, and colorful atmosphere to the painting. The bouquet becomes a visual play of forms, light, and nuances.The background of the painting, created with white flowers painted on the curtain that dominates the composition, together with delicate layers of blue, pink, and luminous tones, contributes greatly to the overall atmosphere of the work.Through this combination of flowers and fruits arranged on the table, I created an image accessible to the imagination of the children I was teaching. The decorative flowers on the background curtain further emphasize this playful and childlike atmosphere.These colors create the sensation of a spring or summer day, evoking the freshness of the air, a closeness to nature, and a feeling of inner calm. At the same time, they introduce a dynamic movement within the composition that invites reflection and visual exploration.The soft blue tones balance the energy of the reds, and together they create a harmonious color relationship that is pleasing to the eye.The presence of cherries introduces a symbolic element connected to my own childhood memories. Of course, the choice of this fruit in arranging the still life was not accidental: cherries are associated with summer, sweetness, and joyful memories, while for children they represented a familiar and beloved subject.We brought this canvas with us by airplane during our journey to Canada in 2012, together with other paintings. Since then, I have preserved it as a special memory of the time when I worked together with my wife Alina at the School of Fine Arts, and of the moments when each child in our class was photographed beside the still lifes they had painted. For this still life composition featuring cherries, we have an entire album of photographs with the children from our class.From an artistic point of view, this Artwork combines realistic observation with an expressive interpretation of color. The visible brushstrokes, the texture of the thick burlap canvas, and the intensity of the pigments create a living surface where the material quality of the painting becomes part of the message itself. It is, in fact, an image of a period of creativity, education, and artistic communion. The Bouquet of Alstroemeria and Cherries is a painting capable of transforming the atmosphere of an interior space. In a room filled with natural light, it brings the sensation of a permanent spring, a connection with nature, and an atmosphere of visual warmth and inner comfort.