Christiane Papé works on The Giving Garden in the basement of her daughter’s home in Central Park. Front Porch photo by Christie Gosch

Artist Christiane Papé’s work has been seen around the world: Rome, Paris, Geneva, and New York City, including in the windows of Saks Fifth Avenue. Her latest piece now has a home in Central Park at The Village Farms at Stanley.

Papé’s paintings are inspired by nature—colorful flowers reminiscent of a summer garden.

“When I start my canvas, it’s white and everything explodes from me. I don’t have a model or anything to relate it to. I love flowers. I admire them. I always look at them and I have a very good photographic memory. I never copy anything,” Papé said.

As she finished work on her painting in the studio in the basement of her daughter’s northeast Denver home, Papé talked about her beginning as an artist. “I remember all my teachers would keep my drawings. They would say, ‘You should do this, and you should do that.’” She said school didn’t help her learn what she has inside. Everything, she said, “comes from here,” pointing to her heart.

The 89-year-old artist recently moved to Denver from Lugano, Switzerland, where she lived with her husband until his death.

Artist Christiane Papé (right) receives a bouquet of fresh flowers at the unveiling of her painting. Front Porch photo by Linda Kotsaftis

“She had a studio full of paintings in Lugano in a two-bedroom apartment,” Papé’s daughter, Marina Kortekaas, said. “One of the bedrooms was basically a storage space. It had about 150 canvases, and then there were prints, and it was crazy. We sold them all before coming to Denver.”

Kortekaas is a volunteer at the farm and works in professional organizing, staging, and design. When she was asked to help with design at the new farm location, the timing of her mother’s move was a perfect fit.

They needed a painting for the empty wall in a trailer, so she asked her mom, “Will you do this?” The answer was “yes,” and Kortekaas said her mother dove right into the project, working six to eight hours a day in the basement studio.

“She is so happy,” Kortekaas said, adding that she needed to remind her mother to come upstairs and eat.

The timing of the project was also right for Papé, who stopped painting for six years while her husband was ill. “I was so happy to start again,” Papé said. “It’s my life. Even if I have a problem, I come and paint. I love painting.”

Papé said the work also helped with the transition of moving to Denver. After living in cities around the world, she’s still acclimating to life in Central Park. She has a few pieces being commissioned, which she planned to work on next, and a project with a publisher in Poland pairing art with poetry.

In August, the artist was at the unveiling of her painting inside the farm’s trailer in a new sitting area for visitors and volunteers. A group of family, friends, and farm staff were there to see the donated piece, titled The Giving Garden.

“I love the purples and the pinks and the blues. Those are some of my favorite colors. It’s amazing. We will treasure it forever,” said Sydney Quynn, program director for Village Farms.

For Papé, it’s a connection to her new home and neighborhood, far away from Switzerland.

“I am honored to give to the Village Farms for the appreciation of all that it brings to our community,” she said. “I hope it adds beauty to this space, as a lasting thank you to everyone for helping this special place grow.”

See more of Papé’s work at www.chpape.com