The Angel’s Trumpet

During the quarantine, I often went on long walks and began to notice the local plant life in Beverly Hills—its flowers, shrubs, and trees. For this particular portrait, I wanted to weave together the sensuous detail of Georgia O’Keeffe’s Petunias (1925) with the dreamlike atmosphere of Henri Rousseau’s Tiger in a Tropical Storm (1891). Both artists seemed to create from a place of solitude, and I felt drawn to merge those sensibilities with my own.

The flower I chose is the Angel’s Trumpet, also called Belladonna—a plant as dangerous as it is beautiful. Historically, its extract was used by women in the Middle Ages to dilate their pupils, thought to heighten allure. Today, medicine still employs it for eye dilation, though any ingestion can be fatal, and even brushing against its petals may irritate the skin. Its perilous charm captivated me, inspiring a painting that explores the tension between its intoxicating beauty and hidden toxicity.