Actant 3, 2014, Gouache and casein on board, 48 x 24″

Says the Willamette Week, “Daniela Molnar’s floral studies juxtapose finely detailed realistic passages with flat tatters of color.” An apt description.

The Actant series focuses on the fluid movement, as well as the precise structure of flowers. These works are both color field paintings and botanical studies, exploring how patterns in nature are perceived, named and understood. The works question habits of naming and perception — when is a flower no longer a flower? When does it cease to be a noun and become a verb? The series is also based on an inquiry into my own and cultural attitudes concerning beauty and utility.