In “Five Lily Pads” the flowers and the sea robin that inhabit the scene would not be found
together in nature. They have been brought together into the frame from disparate parts of the world to standby, layer with, or in some cases dissolve into each other in order to form a momentary world where all belong.
It’s my aim to imbue my works with the melancholy and longing of the outsider and of those in the diaspora, and with appreciation of the fleeting moments of beauty to be found. Many of the references for my flower paintings come from photographs, books, images from Mayan art, stone carvings, textiles, cave paintings, European old masters, Mughal paintings, advertising, or from cut flowers from a florist’s shop.
The water lily or lotus, beloved by many cultures for its ability to be born out of the mud, a
symbol that whatever grief has befallen us, it could be transmuted into beauty. In this
painting, the five lily pads rise in the background and form a link around the flowers and sea robin, so at least in this scene, no one is drifting lonely through the world.
Lourdes Sanchez (b. 1961) is a Cuban-born New York artist whose primary mediums are watercolor and ink, which she uses to explore compositions that are equal parts geometric and organic. She has exhibited her work across in the United States and in Mexico. Her work is included in many esteemed public and private collections and in the museum collection at Zillman Art Museum in Bangor, ME. She currently lives and works in the City of Newburgh, NY and Merida, Yucatan.
