Time blooms into art
Canterbury artist Sue Knowles doesn’t just paint roses, she grows them as well.
In her garden studio in Ladbrooks, Canterbury, Sue Knowles tends her peony roses with the patience of a gardener and the eye of an artist. Each painting begins years before brush ever meets canvas. She nurtures all peonies and roses from planting, watching them strengthen through seasons, waiting for that one perfect moment when the bloom reveals its soul.
“I paint them fresh, in their moment of glory,” Sue says. “You can feel the difference when an artist truly knows her subject: when she’s tended it, fed it, shaped it and admired it, and celebrates its beauty.”
That intimacy transforms her canvases. Her blooms don’t merely appear alive, they feel alive. Collectors describe roses that seem to breathe, peonies that hold light like crystal. From her Ladbrooks garden, where pure southern light coaxes colours found nowhere else, Sue produces just 12-15 originals each year, including commissions. Each arrives with its own story: the rose variety, the season it bloomed, and the time she captured it.
Says one happy collector: “Sue’s painting is the first thing I notice every morning. It brings a quiet energy to my room, as if her garden is alive right here with me.”
Now you can begin your own Sue Knowles collection. She has released a select few of her cherished favourites as exclusive limited edition prints: Lucinda and Friends (pictured below), Sophia and Ebullient.
Every limited edition print comes with a personal story, and you can enjoy complimentary delivery anywhere in New Zealand plus flexible payment plans. Step into Sue’s world of vibrant garden art on the website.
