Description

The Color of May captures the exuberance of roses blooming at the height of spring. Painted in watercolor, the composition is filled with layers of vivid pink and red blossoms rising above dense green foliage. Rather than isolating a single flower, Jennifer Lee allows the roses to spread across the pictorial space like a wave of color, recalling the streets and gardens transformed by flowers each May. The fluidity and transparency of watercolor give the blossoms a sense of softness despite their intense color. Some flowers emerge in saturated reds and pinks, while others seem to dissolve into the pale background. This movement between strong color and delicate washes conveys the vitality of the season and the fleeting atmosphere of flowers at their fullest bloom. For the artist, flowers are closely connected to the beauty of human life. The rose, described here as the “Queen of May,” becomes more than a celebration of the season. It carries a simple and universal gesture of affection. To offer someone a rose is to transform an ordinary moment into an expression of love, gratitude, and emotional connection. Presented within Origins, The Color of May reflects Jennifer Lee’s enduring attention to nature as a vessel for human emotion. The work reveals how observations of flowers, color, and seasonal change become intertwined with personal feeling, establishing an emotional language that continues to resonate throughout her later practice.