This still life is part of a series of paintings depicting flowers in niches, inspired by Dutch master Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder (1573–1621). Jay’s bouquet of pink roses, stately blue irises, delicate snowdrops, and glorious striped tulips—plus a butterfly poised at attention—may reprise a composition Bosschaert painted around 1620. Yet Jay’s stylization and technicolor palette, especially the blazing blue sky, reflect his own practice of using minimal paint mixing. This approach lends the work a heightened artificiality, perhaps commenting on the constructed nature of the still-life tradition itself.
Jay’s meticulous flower paintings engage a centuries-old genre while revealing the individuality of his training and approach. Although he studied briefly at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) and maintained a long mentorship with professor and artist Arthur De Costa, Jay is largely self-taught. He immersed himself in the study of the old masters, teaching himself technique by emulating works he admired. In the early 1980s he spent time in Paris, further refining his style. Jay has exhibited at the West Chester Art Association, Fleisher/Ollman Gallery in Philadelphia, and Cooley Gallery in Old Lyme, Connecticut. Working without preliminary sketches, he continues to paint floral still lifes imagined directly in his studio in Morton, Pennsylvania.
