Back to Work

I am extremely happy with this painting. I have stopped painting for months before this, and I was finding it difficult to remember the tricks I had already successfully mastered in the past. Well with a few disappointing drafts, I can say this has put me back on tracks. Back to work!

I started this painting by positioning the centre of the flower. I do not use pencil lines (I guess I'm too impatient for that), but rather I drafted my main object using very faint, largely watered down light colours. These hard to see strokes gives me the guidance I would need later, and also the possibility of very easily amending anything which I don't like. It nearly feels like painting with water.

Once I was happy with the main object, I splashed a lot of water diagonally on opposite sides of the paper (being bottom right and top left). Starting with the water at the bottom right, I introduced my darker colours, green, burnt sienna and turquoise. With no real pattern, except that which is pleasing to my eyes, I ran the colours down the paper capturing in it in loads of napkins and as always making a bit mess :) I left this to half dry and introduced the salt, which you can see in picture 2 coming out from between the petals. This detail (especially the bottom one) was really exceptional and it was a pity to be buried under the 2nd phase of this painting. (Can hardly be seen in the finished piece). The top part was done in the same manner, except this time I used reds, violets, burnt sienna (again) and a touch of green, turquoise and yellow. In my mind I already had decided that the top and bottom part needed to be of a different light altogether.

To my annoyance (I can never get myself to accepting this), I had to leave the work sit for some time. I went out for a nice Sunday lunch... away from the ever tempting thought of touching it over and over again without letting it dry as it should.

Well once back, I was too excited to do anything else except work on this! The canvas at this point looked like the 2nd picture on here. I already loved the outcome, but being me I wanted a much much bolder effect. So once again I watered the diagonal pieces and induced more and more colours both at the top and bottom. This time I also used sepia acrylic liquid to infuse that boldness I desired. If you look hard enough or at the real painting you will also notice a touch of pink pearl over the black, but this is for those of us who love the mystery details.

Next up was the glazing of the flower in bold yellows, together with its vaguely detailed centre. The work of art here is the "straight from the tube" red, which was applied to add to the boldness.

Those of you who know my work, also know that I never finish a painting without ink! On this number, I chose gold :) It is very difficult to capture the shine in a photo, but oh... does it shine! As with all my paintings I'm in love and can't stop looking it at.

To get me in the mood of painting once again, I looked at the paintings of Jean Haines... and this piece is an inspiration from her book with my touch added to it! She is a great artist which I admire a lot, and her style is fascinating. You can have a look at her book by pressing here!