Middlemist's Red (Middlemist Camellia) by Studio Carper

The 'Out of the ordinary' series is inspired by the world's rarest flowers. Each flower has its own unique characteristics, shapes and colours. Watch, enjoy and cherish these special, unusual, sometimes peculiar and wonderful eccentrics. The Middlemist Red is one of the rarest and most beautiful flowers in the world; so much so that only two of them exist today. The flower was apparently extirpated in its native China some time after it was brought to the UK. Although there is no concrete explanation as to why it became extinct in the wild, it is believed that overbreeding may have played a key role. The Middlemist Red is a beautiful flower that looks like a rose and is bright pink (contrary to what its name suggests). Although it looks like a rose, the Middlemist's red is actually a kind of Camellia flower. Originally from China, it was brought to London in 1804. It is now extinct in China and there are only two known surviving Middlemist Red flowers growing in captivity - one in a botanical garden in New Zealand and the other in a greenhouse in England. The original colours of the flowers have often been adapted in the work, with a nod to the original. For example, the flower itself here is purple and orange, but many pink details have been added in the colour of the actual flower. Out of the ordinary was created as a digital painting by drawing on a tablet with digital brushes and pencils. As a result, the work can be beautifully printed on any material. Inspired by traditional painting techniques, the artwork is built up in several layers, creating depth in the colours.

The work is completely inspired by the nature around us. In every artwork, you therefore see natural colours that can easily be found everywhere in nature. It therefore fits into any interior that reflects nature in the home.

This artwork is offered by Studio Carper

I'm Carlijn Cuijpers, the artist behind Studio Carper. I get inspired by special moments that make you stop and enjoy life to the fullest. The light hitting the leaves and leaving beautiful shadows, the family having one big laugh together, the beautiful elephant you once saw with your own eyes or the best dish you ever tasted. I capture these moments in a natural and figurative style. Shapes are usually recognizable, but I always use a very rough brushstroke. By bringing real shapes more to abstraction, I think the piece is more interesting to look at because your own imagination sees something different every time.

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