Daisy Patton revives vintage subjects in oversized floral oil paintings

Daisy Patton is exhibiting a collection of large-scale oil paintings at the Denver Botanic Gardens that feature subjects sourced from vintage photographs. The exhibition, titled The Place of Flowers, runs through January 31 at the institution's indoor galleries on 1007 York Street. Patton’s work is characterized by its scale and the aggressive use of floral imagery to surround and obscure the faces of the people depicted.

Patton sources her subjects by searching antique stores, thrift shops, and online auctions for black-and-white images from the first half of the 20th century. The photographs typically show individuals or groups posing for cameras during life events such as weddings or graduations. She scans these images and enlarges them to human scale before applying layers of oil paint in bright shades of pink, orange, and yellow.

The artistic process involves covering the subjects' features and clothing with painted flowers, branches, and vines. For example, one untitled piece depicts four people from a park picnic, likely from the 1940s or 1950s, whose socks Patton painted yellow and buttons fuchsia. Their faces are obscured by red paint, and they are set against a pink sky. Another work features two men shaking hands, with one suit rendered in pink and the other in the color of a ripe cantaloupe.

Patton adds physical materials to the finished paintings, incorporating fabrics, artificial flowers, buttons, and embroidery thread. Some pieces are mounted in elaborate frames with additional layers of puffy fabric on the exterior. The exhibition wall text describes the work as an act of love that revives people lost to time, creating gardens of living memory where loved ones never fade.

The visual impact of the pieces is intense, with exaggerated hues and dense layering that viewers must examine closely to distinguish between the original photograph and the artist’s additions. The work prompts questions about the authenticity of the subjects' identities and whether Patton’s fictional embellishments honor or distort the historical record.

Critics note that while the paintings are visually striking, they raise ethical questions about representing deceased individuals without their consent. The source material notes that some viewers might find the mythologizing of these private moments intrusive or distorting. Patton’s approach treats the images as a bridge between the past and present, using the atemporality of flowers to connect the living with the dead.

The exhibition is currently open to the public at the Denver Botanic Gardens. Visitors can contact the venue at 720-865-3500 or visit botanicgardens.org for additional information. Patton’s work continues to draw attention for its bold color palette and the tactile quality of the mixed-media surfaces.