Sandcastle Beach During the Plague, Omena, Pamela Berkeley, 2022, oil on canvas, 16 x 20 in. / 40.64 x 50.8 cm.

Framing Nature: The Symbolism of Vases in Berkeley’s Art

October 22, 2024 Gavin Coates

Featured image: Sandcastle Beach During the Plague, Omena, Pamela Berkeley, 2022, oil on canvas, 16 x 20 in. / 40.64 x 50.8 cm.

Pamela Berkeley’s nature-centric artworks explore the interaction between the organic and the man-made.

Pamela Berkeley is a contemporary artist whose oil paintings blend nature with human-made structures, like the geometric Peter Hewitt vases, highlighting the interplay between the organic and artificial. Her works evoke a sense of serenity, reflection, and the ephemeral beauty of nature.

With a focus on detailed botanical subjects juxtaposed with Peter Hewitt’s minimalist vase designs, Berkeley’s works masterfully blend natural landscapes with structural modernity. Her oil paintings on canvas and linen offer a tranquil yet thought-provoking interpretation of nature’s ephemeral beauty captured through the lens of human intervention.

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Water Garden, Pamela Berkeley, 2022, oil on canvas, 30 x 28 in. / 76.2 x 71.12 cm.

In Water Garden, the scene is serene, depicting delicate flowers placed in a Peter Hewitt vase, reflected in the water beneath. The painting draws the viewer’s eye to the contrast between the structured, geometric design of the vase and the wild, uncontrolled beauty of nature surrounding it. Berkeley’s skilled use of oil gives depth to the reflections on the water’s surface, creating a sense of harmony between the natural and artificial. The vibrant greens and pinks of the surrounding foliage invite contemplation on the relationship between nature and human influence, as the vase seems both a protector and a disruptor of the natural scene.

Hellebore in a Peter Hewitt Vase, Pamela Berkeley, 2024, oil on linen, 30 x 36 in. / 91.44 x 76.2 cm.

In Hellebore in a Peter Hewitt Vase, Berkeley invites the viewer into a quiet, reflective space where human-crafted elegance meets the raw beauty of flowers in bloom. The composition features hellebore flowers held within the transparent, minimalistic lines of the vase. Set against a more subdued background of woodland scenery, the vibrant greens of the vase's glass and the deep purples and pinks of the flowers pop, creating a visual tension. Berkeley’s precision with oil paints renders the scene both realistic and dreamlike, subtly reminding us of the fragility of the natural world and the ways in which human artifice seeks to frame and contain it.

Emily Bronte Roses in a Peter Hewitt Vase, Pamela Berkeley, 2021, oil on canvas, 30 x 28 in. / 76.2 x 71.12 cm.

In Emily Bronte Roses in a Peter Hewitt Vase, Berkeley’s talent shines through in her rendering of roses with a softness and luminosity that evoke romanticism. The flowers, named after the famed author, suggest timeless beauty, while the vase provides a modern contrast. The rich forest setting behind the composition offers depth, drawing the viewer into a dreamlike space. The intricate interplay of light and shadow, reflected through the glass and petals, heightens the sense of transient beauty, as if the scene could dissolve at any moment. The piece reflects a delicate balance between permanence and fleetingness, a recurring theme in Berkeley's work.

Pamela Berkeley's works, particularly Water Garden, Hellebore in a Peter Hewitt Vase, and Emily Bronte Roses in a Peter Hewitt Vase, showcase her exceptional ability to blend human-made objects with nature in a way that honors both. Through her delicate use of oils, Berkeley offers an introspective look at nature’s beauty framed by human design, evoking themes of harmony, contrast, and impermanence.

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