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Provenance: By descent from the artist

Private Collection, London, England

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Exhibited: Québec (and travelling), Marian Dale Scott, 1903-1996; Pioneer of Modern Art, Musée du Québec, April 6 - September 4, 2000, no. 57

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Literature: Esther Trépanier, Marian Dale Scott, Pioneer of Modern Art, Quebec 2000, p. 140, illustrated fig. 57, p. 141

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Notes: If she was inspired by the floral paintings of Georgia O'Keefe, Scott nevertheless, whatever she took, made her very own. Esther Trepanier comments "that this influence or kinship exists – notably in the flower paintings – and Marian Scott always acknowledged it."

Yet as great, or perhaps a greater, inspiration came from Scott's father, a well-informed amateur botanist, who handed down his knowledge and enthusiasm for flowers to her. Flowers as subjects remained a part of Scott's imagery for more than two decades.

Milkweed is an outstanding example from a series on the milkweed plant, which Scott painted in 1936-7. The originality of her treatment belies any direct or obvious influence, but the degree of her debt may reside more in intention than in execution, since her style is her own and so is her composition and palette.