11 x 14 – Acrylic on Wood

A boisterous tangle of green stems and purple blossoms creates a graceful arc against a tumultuous sky of gold.

A hard one to photograph – the yellows are a little more delicate in real life, but I didn’t want to lose the rich darks and vibrant blues and purples.

11 x 14 – Acrylic on Wood

Nearly done! All the greenery is in and I just have a few more flowers and some more of those soft yellows. I love the complements in this one, not only the yellows and purples but bringing in some blues and oranges too.

11 x 14 – Acrylic on Wood

I’m finding it difficult to get a good photo of this painting. The purples should be dark and rich and the yellows soft and delicate.  I think this one is a lot closer to what I see on my easel than the first two are.

And it’s coming forth as a quiet undulation of flowers – a gentle reaching upward and of constant movement.

11 x 14 – Acrylic on Wood

Added a lot of sinuous greenery and some more of those muted yellows that set off the purples in the blossoms so well.

11 x 14 – Acrylic on Wood

Not the painting I thought I would be starting – my river sketch isn’t ready for the panel yet. But this is one I’ve been wanting to do for a while so I don’t mind.

Purple, mauve, violet, lavender, plum, wine, magenta, all against a backdrop of muted and not-so-muted yellows – definite homage to a certain dutchman.  Although every time I get lost in a perfect red or see a jewel in a puddle of turquoise I think of the artists that came before and of those yet to come so in a sense every time I pick up a brush, it’s a tribute.

Done! The white flower basks on the dark leaves; the sunlight traces paths along the petals. Colour spills from the centre, reaching out to influence the rest of the flower. Way too much fun – I will have to do some more florals soon. (Maybe right after I do a painting for a local show entry and a commission.)

Some more of the background is in, defining the edges of the petals and echoing the shapes of the leaves in the darker ochres and greens and blues. I love the way these colours are emerging – a little surprised at the pinks and oranges in the petals, but they seem quite a part of it now.

Working more on the petals in this session. Introducing some unexpected colours – its the center of the flower asserting itself I think.  Not content to be the center of the painting, sneaky little fingers of colour brushing the pristine white of the petals…

I really wanted to see how the background works against the flower petals. I’m interested here in the fine line between the contrast between the darks and lights and the similarities in the shapes. Oh and I also wanted to pull some of the darker colours into the petals too. Too much fun!

Starting in on some of the petals now… For a white flower, there’s not a lot of white paint on the panel. I especially like the way the afternoon light hits the petals and the way the center of the flower spills out into the petals a bit.