“Poppy Study” is a series of solarized botanical vignettes portraying poppies from bud to bloom to withering. During the pandemic, poppies held my fascination with their uniquely curved stems, nodding buds and crumpled petals which, surprisingly, sprung to full bloom almost as quickly as they withered. Subconsciously, I was also captivated by the poppy given its symbology and association with those we’ve lost, as a painkiller to ease our suffering and as an emblem of regeneration as it can grow in challenging conditions with depleted soil.
Carolyn Cheng is a contemporary Canadian photographer currently living and working in Toronto, Ontario. Cheng received a Master of Science in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science. She is an award-winning artist that has been published in National Geographic, On Landscape and Nikon’s N-Magazine. Cheng has shown at the Art Gallery of Hamilton, the Robert McLaughlin Gallery, Ryerson University’s Paul H. Crocker Gallery, Gallery 44 and the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair. Her work is also held in various private collections.
Awards 2022, 2nd Place, Fine Art, Still Life, IPA
2021, Gold and Silver, Fine Art - Landscape, PX3
2021, Top 101 Photographs of the Year, International Photographer of the Year
2020, Gold, Nature - Landscape, PX3
2020, Top 101 Photographs of the Year, International Photographer of the Year
2020, 2nd Runner Up, RMG Exposed, The Robert McLaughlin Gallery
2019, Silver and Bronze, Nature, PX3
2019, 5 Honourable Mentions, Aerials and Fine Art Abstract, International Photography Awards
2018, Top 101 Photographs, International Landscape Photographer of the Year
