Ed Obermeyer: The Patterns of Painted Plants

Some people can look at a flower and see simply a plant, a living organism that has no practical use. But for those with a more heightened sensitivity to nature, the flower is a muse.

Virginia Beach artist Ed Obermeyer takes hours to perfect his hyperrealistic paintings of ocean waves and garden flora. Through the intricate placement of dots and lines, he brings nature to life.

“I try to look for the unusual. I try to make people look at plants in a way that they don’t normally see them, so I paint them with patterns.”

Viewing Ed’s works from afar makes it seem like they’re gorgeous photographs from his travels, but upon closer inspection the painstaking work of brushstrokes is evident. 

His whole motivation is to be different than any other artist painting landscapes or plants. He hopes his works showcase his own feelings about the natural world.

“I find great peace in nature.”

Ed finds immense enjoyment being outside and even occasionally does plein air painting, meaning he’s outside working in nature, with the sights and smells all around him. 

It seems the artist could never tire of his natural muse.

“I love plants, I don’t know how to put that in words…it’s not why. It just is.”

This episode of PlantPop was filmed by Leon Guanzon and edited by Josh Wingard.

To learn more about Ed Obermeyer and to order some of his work, visit his website here.