art treatise
DAISY FAITH sits in her home studio in Wilmington. A recent piece is propped on
colorful art for a
happy home
From pet portraits to still-life bouquets, Daisy Faith incorporates drips of
florals and vibrant colors that add a touch of spring to any space
By Emory Rakestraw
a small side table next to a bushel of eucalyptus in a white vase. One can’t help
but feel that somehow this art was designed for this exact space. That perhaps
this would make a swoon-worthy Instagram post, whether it be design or art
focused.
Faith’s background in interior design (which she earned a degree in) commingles with her
love of art.
“When I paint or envision it in a space, I see the whole space,” she says. “I’m not just painting,
I see it styled. My ideal customer is someone who loves color.”
Customers who own a Daisy Faith piece don’t have to run to the store and pick up a fresh
bouquet. They only need to glance at their wall and get the same effect.
Her work recalls artists such as Matisse, who fabulously crafted still life with a burst of
personality. Or Monet, whose body of work comprised some 2,500 pieces but is best known
for practicing and perfecting his main subject, water lilies.
Think of Monet, and a clear vision likely emerges. Much of Faith’s art is centered around
trying to establish a similar reputation.
“I gave myself a strict focus to create a consistent portfolio,” she says. “Before that I was
painting what people asked me to paint. I think you do have to establish a brand, what you
want to be. When someone says, ‘I want a colorful flower painting, I want my dog painted,
’ you want them to think of you.”
Decorating a room can involve statement pieces like a hunter green velvet couch and
bohemian rug alongside accents like white linen curtains and plants in decorative vases.
For balance and a focal point, art ties the space together, giving it a persona furniture cannot.
Faith exudes this in not just her work or subject, but in the way she styles her social media and
website photos. She establishes her brand and sets up her art as not an idea but a tangible
object that can really make a space.
On We Go Together Like Peanut Butter and Banana (part of her Florist Bench collection),
an acrylic aqua underpaint adds thick textured layers, applied with one of her favorite tools,
a palette knife. Two vases hold sprawling greenery to add a touch of wild among a delicate
peony, three daisies, ranunculus and various flowers. A lone orange seems to have strayed too
far from its gold bowl to the right. It all exudes organizational chaos, a methodology under-stood
by a florist, painter, designer and homeowner.
While most of her work is acrylic, she adds final touches with both Prismacolor soft pastels
and fine line applicators.
“I use applicators for line work, I like to add a lot of texture,” Faith says. “I like to be some-what
improv about it and somewhat listen to the canvas. I don’t want to plan it out too much.
I’m very type A and a perfectionist, but I’m trying to let go. That’s the most fun of painting for
me is you can let go and get into the flow.”
may 2021 54
WBM
ALLISON POTTER