Cleome – 9 x 12 inches – acrylic on wood – commission
I’d never seen these flowers before being commissioned to paint one. (My favourite part about commissions is the opportunity to paint something I wouldn’t have thought of on my own.) This plant is also called a’ spider flower’ or ‘grandfather’s whiskers’. 
Delicate petals in pinks and purples are offered up on long thin spikes. This is a very airy and delicate-looking plant and I think I need some in my garden next year!
cleome spider flower abstract painting green and purple
Really nice pastel colors. It’s very calm painting. The most impressive thing is that you can change everything into your beautiful way of painting. I did’t know this flower before, it looks quite nice but hard to paint – but you are doing it so well that I just admire your work!
Sorry I forgot – one question: when you write for example here 9 x 12 you mean inches? Our measure is “cm” so I always wonder how big is the painting – this can be really surprising. So if you write 9 x 12 it’s 23 x 31 cm and then I can imagine size of the painting.
Thanks Chris. I do have trouble some times getting things into my way of painting, but as I get better and better at it, it gets easier. I’m so sorry I never thought of the measurement type – all my measurements are in inches – I’m going to edit my post and fix that. Thanks for pointing it out.
Hi Mandy,
This is an unusual flower to paint and you are doing a tremendous job! I was wondering what brand of paint you use? The colours are so beautiful.
Merry Christmas to you!
Thanks Sue! I really like Tri-Art – it’s a Canadian brand and is comparable to Golden which I also like. It’s nice to be able to support a Canadian company, so I use mostly Tri-Art.
Merry Christmas to you too!
Thanks Mandy. I read a lot of art books etc and have read about Golden being a good quality paint so now I know I will look out for the Tri-Art if we can get it here in the UK! I love the finished painting by the way! It is very striking in all it’s glory you have a good eye for colour and I am sure the person you painted it for will love it too!
Thanks Sue! Yes, Golden is a very good paint and I’ve definitely noticed that great paint makes things a lot easier!
Hello Mandy, I originally saw your work on Etsy. You have the most amazing paintings, I would love to get inside your head and see where all those little shapes come from. Your sense of color is great also. All in all, you produce some of the most original works I have seen. I cannot wait to see more
Thanks Carol! I love your work and colour sense too! Your paintings look delightfully effortless! Etsy is so vast, I amazed you found me – lol.