Chloë HoltRCA FRSA

Still-life depicting late-summer dahlia, echinacea and flowers from my garden gathered at the height of abundance, where colour, weight and structure are allowed to exist without interruption. Light settles across the petals as presence rather than drama, concentrating attention on the intensity of bloom at its fullest celebratory moment.

Oil, walnut ink and mixed media with gesso on board in Antique gilded frame with satyrs masks 140 w x 117 h cm Framed 113 w x 90 h cm Unframed

Pomegranates gathered on a table as vessels of memory and continuity. The fruits are held in balance between surface and depth, grounded yet resonant, carrying the quiet weight of time, ritual and persistence.

Oil, mixed media with gesso on board in antique frame 57 w x 62.5 h cm Framed 47 w x 42.5 h cm Unframed

Astaea captures the abundant energy of my garden as it transitions into winter. The thick impasto layers of oil paint, gesso, and encaustic wax create a rich, textured surface, evoking the tapestry-like quality of the perennial border—where seed heads and foliage form in preparation for the frost, offering sustenance for the birds. The asters, fennel, and heleniums emerge from this layered surface, with some flowers gilded to catch the light, bringing an ethereal glow to the piece.

The dense, tactile surface reflects the garden’s flourishing energy, woven and celebrating both growth and the quiet beauty of decay. Each layer adds to the depth and complexity, mirroring the cycles of nature and the evolving patterns within the garden. Through Astaea, I seek to convey the sense of an ever-changing, living canvas, where the garden’s purpose continues even as it prepares for the stillness of winter. The painting becomes a testament to the garden’s ability to inspire and sustain, even in the midst of transformation.

Oil, gesso, raw pigment and encaustic wax on board in antique frame w 57 x h 84.5 cm (Framed in antique frame w 82 x h 107 cm)

Foxglove forms open and unfold across the surface, their structure loosened as light moves through leaves and petals. Ruptura speaks of parting rather than breaking — an opening that allows warmth and gold to surface, holding growth in motion like a woven field of light, foliage illuminated with gold.

Oil, walnut ink, metallic gold and mixed media with gesso on board in Antique darkened gilded frame 107 w x 94.5 h cm Framed 84 w x 72 h cm Unframed

As Helena Attlee writes, “the lemon is a fruit shaped by care” — something cultivated rather than found, carrying with it a sense of patience, attention and distance. In painting, it holds that same tension. It’s delicious fragrance and taste - sharpness and sweetness set against one another. Here it remains whole. Gilded leaves catch and return the dappled light, contained within a small Georgian round frame — something held and treasured.

Oil and mixed media on board in antique Georgian tondo gilded frame with original glass. Width and height 36cm x 4cm