It is impossible to escape the mesmeric qualities of Sylvia Marsters flower paintings. Brilliant colour and realism demand your attention, the composition of the artist's flower works designed to draw you into a powerful space filled with a wealth of sensation. For her most recent and ongoing series of Gardenia paintings, the artist has said that she has looked to the tradition of 19th and 20th century Viennese flower painting, from Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller to Gustav Klimt. The work is exceptionally detailed. Grand cycles of life play out in glorious detail across the canvases. They are beautiful, yet pensive. Dark, moody backgrounds draw the viewer past the obvious fragility of the flowers into a void of heightened emotion, they are spaces and experiences yet to be encountered.
Marsters' renowned Hibiscus paintings have re-emerged of late. They are permeated by a fierce resolve to strengthen an understanding of her Cook Islands cultural heritage. For much of her youth, the artist was thrilled with tales of her father's island in the Pacific, stories that ultimately became represented by the flora & people that she paints.
Elements of realism blend with concepts of romanticism and perceptions of Pacific fantasy in Marsters compositions, structuring a sense of serenity and insight.