Artwork copyright Edwin Koch. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2017.

Nectarines/Bouquet, 1993

Edwin Koch
(American, born 1937)

Location: Prairie High School, Vancouver

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

Nectarines/Bouquet is part of artist Edwin Koch's body of still-life paintings. The composition features the rich color, detail, and texture of flowers, fruit, and draped fabric. He creates these realist images by first composing a group of objects, which he photographs and then projects onto his canvas.

Interviewed for a profile in "American Artist" magazine in December 1996, Koch described his process. He noted, "When I started doing floral still lifes, I would ask neighbors to let me have flowers from their gardens that I could combine with a few objects I had around my house… Now I have my own garden and a house so filled with still-life material it looks like an antique shop. I buy vases and objects all the time, and I grow flowers in my garden whose color and shape I want to paint."

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Battle Ground School District.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Oregon-based artist Edwin Koch creates hyper-realistic still-life paintings. Born in Missoula, Montana, he received his undergraduate degree and Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Oregon in Eugene. He has taught at Maude Kerns Art Center and Lane Community College, both in Eugene, Oregon.