More Flower Power

Sometimes I get on a jag...

better known as "painting a series," where a 

particular subject becomes of great interest

and I just can't seem to get enough.

I'm going to blame it on spring.  After months of grey skies and noble, naked trees we were suddenly treated to bits of color here and there.  A lone bloom became reason to pause and enjoy the sensation. I think that is what started my interest in painting flowers...and, much to my surprise, I am still enjoying them.  

A weekend in Charleston provide some photos of the quintessential southern bloom: the Magnolia.

I painted it twice, two different sizes and both were detailed studies of form and color.

Southern Comfort

oil, 16 x 12, gold floater frame, $250

Sweet Tea

oil, 7 x 5, gold frame, $185

Needing some flowers a bit less constrained, I opted next to paint a "mess of daisies" I found out in the woods.  They looked, and felt, every bit as southern as the magnolias but certainly not as proper or well heeled.  Two sides of spring: dignified and wild.  

On the Wild Side

oil, 7 x 5 painting, frame measures 13 x 11

$150

I don't think I am done with flowers...one of the many benefits of painting a subject consistently is that you begin to pick up on the small nuances of the subject matter.  In this case there is much to learn about stems and positions (like necks holding up heads), growth patterns, leaf patterns (and making the right leaf believable to the correct plant) and oh, about a thousand other small details that add up to the big picture.

I was advised once not to paint anything I am not intimately familiar with...or someone will call me out on a misplaced detail.  So while the sun is giving us long days and cool evenings I am out to get up close and personal with a lot more flowers.  Here's hoping you find blossoms in your day.

Blooming in Living Color,

Cindy