Delmus Phelps’ Contagious Joy in Flowers: The Art of Offering Healing Through Paintings
By: Emeri Glen | Photos by: Ashlee Glen
Settled next to a small garden and near the nesting spot of a neighboring doe, Delmus Phelps’ red studio sits neatly. It’s filled with natural light from its several windows and, covering the wall opposite the entrance, still moments captured on canvas. One of these pieces recreates Phelps’ son looking out over a valley, trying to discern which path to take following his graduation from high school. Another is of a colorful giraffe playfully sticking its tongue out. But most of these poignant pieces are flowers.
Somewhere between 2007 and 2008, Phelps was walking along a street with his son when he chanced to see a marvel through a storefront window.
“I saw the painting, from the street, through the gallery, all the way in the back… That [the positioning of the painting] was done on purpose,” he recalled.
Phelps had glimpsed an unusually large, detailed painting of three blooms. Despite his son’s chuckles, Phelps left his walk to go search through the gallery for the piece. After winding through the maze of paintings to the end of the gallery, he finally was able to properly appreciate what he’d seen from the street, and thus Phelps, immediately falling in love with this style of artistry, began to paint flowers.
Phelps, born in Germany, raised in the United States, and well-traveled, has experienced a wide range of what this life has to offer. He is acquainted with both great joy and heavy grief, and seeks to represent these experiences in his art. Phelps’ family deemed him “the artist” amongst their bunch when he was young, and he has been painting impressive pieces for decades.
Following another stint in Germany, where he was stationed with the Airforce, Phelps’ returned to the United States with his growing family in tow and began to hone his passion. His oil on canvas pieces include familiar locations around Lynchburg, landscape, still life, and everyday objects, but his main focus is on flowers and their beauty.
Phelps spoke of a study conducted by California University where individuals were gifted flowers.
“Their face typically lights up,” he said. “People are really happy when they see flowers. … And I’ve asked customers who’ve bought my paintings, ‘Well, what was your main reason?’”
These customers’ reasons were primarily in keeping with the results found by the study; flowers bring joy, and Phelps paints them well.
Some of the themes that permeate Phelps’ work are that of healing and not worrying oneself over circumstances that aren’t within one’s control.
The yellow swallowtail butterfly serves as a spiritual reminder to Phelps that everything will be ok, and he mentions that it makes appearances in many of his paintings. Encompassing these themes is the common, meaningful need for beauty in the form of art. Phelps spoke about how his customers recognized the grief in his paintings, and this shared meaning helped them to find commonality in beauty and understanding.
“I guess the main thing is… You need art in your life, and it’s healing, especially flowers,” he said.
Phelps continues to offer healing in the form of his empathy and painted blooms. To read more about his story, visit his website www.delmusphelps.com.
