Oil and gouache artist Marilyn Holsing depicts anthropomorphized arrangements that convey their distinct personalities through form and gesture. Flowers are posed in precarious positions, emphasizing strength and persistence. Her seemingly corporeal subjects huddle humorously in vulnerable vignettes, some beaming with pride, while others appear to droop in sorrow. Their leaves stretch and strain as they tenaciously grasp onto neighboring stems, reinforcing the growing tangle.

While Holsing’s colors and textures accurately depict the delicate, natural beauty of her plants, there are alluring details throughout that lean into the delightfully grotesque. Thick meaty petals undulate around the stamin like a group of twisting earthworms, and dry stringy tendrils hang from organic growths like curious cilia. Many of the groupings flourish despite being held within tiny wicker baskets and pans, surviving on impossible, sloping hillsides. In addition to a bit of awkwardness, Holsing’s persevering flowers conjure feelings of affinity and compassion. They are the antiheroes of a winding adventure through an immersive paradise.