This painting has its origins in a photograph I took myself, a snapshot during a walk in which the light was just right. The poppies were open to the sun, vulnerable yet powerful in their red. From that image I started working digitally, not to copy reality one-to-one, but to re-experience and transform it.
Using digital techniques, I played with light, colour and texture. The sunlight became more intense, almost tangible, and the petals took on a painterly glow that lifted them above the mundane. Where the photograph captured the transience of that one moment, the painting brings a new layer: an interpretation of the warmth, stillness and beauty I felt when I saw the flowers.
The poppy is of itself a symbol of fragility and strength, of remembrance and of hope. In this work, she is carried by light - a reminder that even the smallest detail in nature can touch and inspire us, if we take the time to stop and look.
Created by Geert Van Baelen with support from AI.
Geert Van Baelen has been working as a press photographer in Belgium for over 20 years. Besides current affairs, he also finds inspiration for his images in everyday life, landscapes and people... Read more…