So, you guessed it—headed out to the garden, got down and dirty, and took me some pix.
Went to my studio with a few intentions: big brush, gestural strokes, bright underpainting of entire canvas. Often when I paint, I lose myself in a scene, as though I were there. With my flowers, I got absorbed in the act of painting. Felt very aware of how different that process is for me from a year ago.
Last summer, I would never have thought to paint my canvas a deep orange before starting. I would not have painted without sketching first. It would never have occurred to me to let the underpainting pop through vividly. I would have painted the sky first and then superimposed my flowers. I would have used a small, small brush more than once, holding it like a pencil and essentially using it to draw.
Instead, with my flowers, I was in playground mode, running around playing with new techniques. Had fun messing about. Thanks, Laurie, for sparking some experimentation in me!
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| Downside of a Black Eye 6x6", acrylic on gessobord floral 2015 |
10 comments:
What a cool idea; I love how this turned out!
Joany, thanks! I can see much I'd want to do differently another time, but I had fun painting an orange undercoat first and then letting the orange pop through as I painted my flowers, and this flower has already had fun being a cheery attachment in an email I sent recently.
this is gorgeous! A good lesson in loosening up for me!
Dotty, I love your colors and especially the under color of orange.
JuleeQue, I can't tell you what a thrill it is to have someone see MY work as a lesson in loosening up—music to my ears! Just visited your blog briefly. Want to poke around again soon. You crochet and knit! Fun!
Ann, great fun to hear from you! Thanks for your welcome comments. Under color is a new area of exploration for me. I'm eager to do more. Had to laugh that you love the colors—aside from the orange, they weren't what I was aiming for. I have to say that one of the fun parts of painting is that it involves painter AND viewers, viewers who have their own lenses. I just love the mystery of it all. I can hate something and someone else can be totally captivated by it; I can think something is terrific and someone else is asking, What the heck is that nonsense?!!
Dotty, wow, I am so flattered! It looks beautiful and very very expressive and loose. It takes practice to "get loose". You nailed it! Big brushes are great because they kind of force the issue. This painting is just great!
Laurie, such music to my ears (or is the expression "such paint to my brush"?!) to hear you reflect back that this painting is very very expressive and loose—thank you! Getting loose in painting sure takes practice on my part : ) Big brushes, and a crowded schedule, help force the issue in my studio! I'm loving the responses to this painting.
Love this!
Thanks! This perky black-eyed Susan is no doubt gabbing with one of your sunflowers across the garden!
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