JChadima

The Springtime in Paris series began in 2024, originating in JCHADIMA’s photographic observations of the seasonal planting of hybrid white amaryllis in Paris. The flowers’ extraordinary scale and exotic presence became a recurring source of fascination, particularly because their emergence occurs during the winter months, when the surrounding landscape is often subdued and dormant.

The amaryllis provides a compelling natural structure through which JCHADIMA explores the relationship between organic form, light, colour, scale, and perception. The large architectural petals and dramatic silhouettes are observed closely and then transformed through abstraction, allowing the recognizable flower to become a more fluid arrangement of curves, layered forms, and shifting spatial relationships.

As in JCHADIMA’s broader practice, observation becomes transformation. The photographic image serves as the initial encounter, but the painting moves beyond documentation. The essential characteristics of the amaryllis—its scale, rhythm, curvature, and unfolding structure—are extracted and reinterpreted through colour, line, light, and abstraction.

The seasonal cycle is central to the meaning of the series. The amaryllis is planted during winter and cultivated in anticipation of its eventual flowering. Its emergence becomes a visual interruption within the darkness of the season—a concentrated expression of vitality and renewal. For JCHADIMA, this process parallels the act of painting itself: continuing to observe, imagine, and create even when the surrounding environment appears dormant.

The Springtime in Paris series therefore extends beyond botanical observation. The flowers become symbols of anticipation and creative persistence, while their transformation into abstract compositions reflects JCHADIMA’s desire to discover beauty within simple, often overlooked encounters with nature.

Across the series, the amaryllis becomes less a specific flower than a vehicle for exploring the transition from winter to spring—from dormancy to emergence, darkness to light, and observation to creative transformation.

“Even in the depths of winter, nature prepares its next unfolding.”