In love, as in life, things aren’t always neat and orderly.  Emotions go awry, we find ourselves sliding down the rabbit hole of sensitivity, going from sadness to anger to regret to tenderness and back again.  These large scale floral paintings by Florida artist Carmelo Blandino capture that undeniable exquisite mess that comes with loving another person.

Paint is applied thick and frenzy-like, just like the whirlwind of those first moments of falling in love, every touch, every minute together is dripping with excitement and overwhelming beauty.  Then, as time goes on, we settle into a different kind of messy loveliness, the kind that knows what you look like first thing in the morning, but can’t wait to kiss you anyway.  The kind that loves you through your moodiness and emotional outbursts.  The kind that fights honestly and fairly and then loves you even more when it is over.

On this Valentine’s Day, I wish you the messiest sort of love, dear Artsies!  If you’d like to see more gorgeous flowers by Carmelo Blandino, please visit his website.

All images are via the artist’s website.  Artist found via My Modern Met.