During the 1970s, Jack Beder turned to still life and floral subjects as illness and cold winters forced him to stop his outdoor work. Marigolds in Glass Jar (1970) reflects this period of his life. The pastel medium provides a soft, luminous quality, giving the flowers a velvety richness.

The composition has a clear glass jar filled with golden-orange and deep red marigolds at its centre. Beder’s layered pigments capture the marigolds’ vibrant textures. The clear jar adds a delicate complexity, showing both the stems and the faint distortions of their water-filled container.

This pastel on paper measures 14 x 11.25 inches and is signed and dated by the artist on the lower right. It is featured on page 149 of Jack Beder: Life and Art in Canada (2025), a publication by Rookleys Canadian Art Gallery. Acquired directly from the artist’s estate, it is catalogued as inventory Pastel #72.

This piece was also included in the Jack Beder: Life and Art in Canada exhibition at Rookleys Canadian Art Gallery.