William Suran: Visual Artist | Musician

Even the most magnificent photographs of flowers can be taken a step further to magnify their beauty.

At least, that’s the perspective of Brooklyn-based artist William Suran, or the Peony Master as he is colloquially known.

Bill focuses on the photographs he takes of peonies and creates watercolors from their minute details. He says he could spend a month on just one small section of just one photograph. 

“They have this character…to me they have this personality…I can zoom in on them and just find something to go nuts on.”

Whole days of the months of May and June are dedicated to trips to the Chelsea Flower Market for the perfect specimens, then time spent photographing late into the night. He then spends hours working on the compositions in Photoshop. This is a much more manageable process than when he worked on large scale oil paintings. 

When it comes to detail, Bill is focused. The longest amount of time spent on one project was seven years. 

It’s all about the peonies. He says that when they die, they have this amazing quality about them that he loves to capture.

“They’re just a real versatile flower that I somehow find personality in…I just think they’re the greatest.”

To see more of William Suran’s work, follow his Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/williamsuran/

Bill is also a dedicated musician and his music can be found at https://williamsuran.bandcamp.com/releases