: "Floral Muse" by Kim Tugade

“Floral Muse” by Kim Tugade at Galerie Joaquin Collective

Text by Mikai Francisco

For jewelry designer and visual artist Kim Tugade, the beauty of nature is found in its intricate details. Tugade is known for her photorealistic paintings that explore the intimate angles of flowers. Her works evoke the careful precision of botanical illustrations. Each piece showcases the form, color, and subtle nuances of the diverse plant species she depicts.

“Floral Muse,” is Kim Tugade’s latest collection of botanical paintings at Galerie Joaquin Collective. This mini-exhibition features the up-close illustrations of her muses, the delicate blooms that have deeply captivated the artist. With each detail magnified, Tugade transports her viewers to a realm where the natural world takes precedence — a world of verdant greens, and luscious colors evoking a sense of quietude and serenity.

The artist juxtaposes the brightness of her flora against richly darkened backgrounds allowing the vibrant hues to come front and center. The dramaticism of this tonal contrast creates a further air of mystery within her canvases. Nature is framed as something wholly beautiful in these snapshots, yet the mystifying quality of the natural world emerges alongside this.

Whether it be a delicate pink rose or a fiery orange pansy, Kim Tugade’s keen eye for detail allows for the allure and innate mystery of the living world to shine through. “Floral Muse” is the artist’s invitation to appreciate the beauty of the environment amid today’s urban landscape. Acting as nature's instrument, Tugade carefully renders these florals inexplicably inviting viewers to reconnect with the Earth.