“This painting of tulips draws you in with its vivid colors and dynamic brushwork, making the flowers feel alive and almost tangible. It's a celebration of natural beauty, rendered with striking energy.”
A vibrant cluster of red and yellow tulips bursts forth in this painting, their petals seemingly caught mid-bloom. The flowers dominate the frame, pushing close to the viewer, creating an intimate and almost overwhelming sense of their presence. Each petal is rendered with a dynamic energy, suggesting movement and the natural flow of life. The artist uses a bold, almost impressionistic approach to color and form, allowing the hues to blend and separate, giving the composition a lively, spontaneous feel. This work, created in 2006, captures the fleeting beauty of nature, transforming a simple bouquet into a powerful statement about vitality and color. The use of acrylic paint on canvas allows for the bright, saturated tones that make the tulips glow against their implied background.
- Artist
- Michele Elizabeth Field
- Date
- 2006
- Location
- Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
What to Notice
Four details hide in plain sight. Here’s where to look.

The way the red and yellow petals intertwine, almost merging into one form.
Look closely at the brushstrokes; they are loose and energetic, not perfectly smooth.
Notice how the light seems to emanate from the flowers themselves.
The subtle variations in green in the leaves, providing depth to the composition.
Stand in front of it and listen
The full narration walks you through Tulips — the story behind it, the details most visitors miss, and why it matters. Free in the Art Whisper app.
Michele Elizabeth Field
1953–2014Michele Elizabeth Field was a painter whose later work, like 'Back on Earth,' explored themes on two canvases.
Further Works by Field
Foxgloves
2004 · Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Thistles
2004 · Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
White Lilies
2004 · Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Buttercups
2005 · Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Daisies
2005 · Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Irises
2004 · Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Anemones
2006 · Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Poppies
2006 · Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
More works to explore
Beyond Field: works from the same years.
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Kiki (Smith)
Chuck Close · 2000 · Art Institute of Chicago
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Untitled (Portrait of Ross in L.A.)
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Near the Lagoon
Jasper Johns · 2002 · Art Institute of Chicago
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Oonagh MacCumhail: The Case of the Entered Novitiate
Matthew Barney · 2002 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1990s–2020s
A Torso / Toxic Drawing
Romero Britto · 2011 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1990s–2020s
American Horizon
Jane Wooster Scott · 2000 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1990s–2020s
Wu Street
Xu Bing · 1993 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1990s–2020s
Cremaster 2: Deseret
Birgit Cullberg · 1999 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1990s–2020s
It's a New Age
William Hook · 1992 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1990s–2020s
Blood Pool
Kiki Smith · 1992 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1990s–2020s
Alchemy of Pain
Matthew Monahan · 2006 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1990s–2020s
Urns (Set of 8)
Thomas Schütte · 1999 · Art Institute of Chicago
