SOLDFoxgloves, circa 1935
Mounted (ref: 5400)
Watercolour over pen and ink, 18 x 12 in. (45.8 x 30.5 cm.)
SOLDWatercolour over pen and ink, 18 x 12 in. (45.8 x 30.5 cm.)
Provenance: The Artist's Estate
Mahoney's unbridled enthusiasm for plants was shared with Edward Bawden, Geoffrey Rhoades, John Nash and Evelyn Dunbar, with whom he swapped cuttings by post.
Beneath the south wall of his studio my father made wigwams of canes to
support multicoloured gourds and deep blue Morning Glory trumpets. He grew
many kinds of Polygonum. Some, like P. cuspidatum, were statuesque giants,
others, were delicate and lacy. He appreciated flowers
such as tulips and Opium Poppies for their slender upright form with a burst
of bloom at the top, as they popped up between bushier plants throughout the
garden. Lilies likewise shot through the foliage of other plants and
exploded in exquisite flowers. Auriculas were a particular passion. He loved
the primly formal arrangement which complemented the sumptuous colour
combinations.
Elizabeth Bulkeley, letter to Paul Liss 15th March 2005
